We Need to Talk
About the defense.
I was able to get a good look at the Raiders defense today. The one that has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. It was bad.
They look lost. Out of position. Incompetent. And at times, even soft. How did we find ourselves here, again.
After watching Braelon Allen of the Jets drop 150 yards and a TD on the Raiders last week, it felt like Groundhog Day. How many times have we watched a mid RB drop massive yards on the Raiders, season after season.
I thought maybe I was going crazy, so I ran it by AI, which told me, sure enough, that over the past 20 seasons, the Raiders have the 31st worst-ranked rushing defense, second only to the Browns.
In other words, we've watched teams run roughshod over the Raiders for at least the past two decades.
I remember an anecdote from the 70s, maybe it was Al Davis who said it: other NFL teams would lose to the Raiders the moment they saw the defense walk off the airplane. That's how fearsome the Raiders were.
Now I see those uniforms today, in the glorious California sunshine, like they were born to be (they were not born to be in a Nevada dome under artificial light), and I think: how far we've fallen, and for so long.
Kubiak is learning fast what it means to become a Raiders head coach. I hope he can persevere. But there's something in the water, and it's been there for 20+ years.
Friends, help me out. Lighten my mood. Tell me it's all gonna work out.
posted by Raider Take at 5:38 PM
10 Comments:
I wish I had answers, but it might be maddening to know the truth. For the most part, I think there's effort by the Raiders players, amplified by some kind of pep talk (probably Crosby) at halftime each game. Then they turn the screws a little tighter on defense and give the offense a chance to stage a comeback in what is too often already insurmountable.
Maybe it's a collaborative failure by coaches and players. But IDK. I would say, right now with my uninformed opinion, Rob Leonard is outside his depth. I figure that players train their whole lives and they understand multiple schemes at their position. But players aren't just getting beat. They are regularly out of position, missing assignments, etc., which has to fall on coaching, right? Raiders make the same mistakes over and over, allowing other teams to exploit their failures.
It might be startling to know how many DL the Raiders have drafted, traded for and signed in FA over the past several years, yet, their best lineman outside of Crosby is a leftover FA DT they picked up right before the season. What ever happened to the FAs the Raiders rushed to sign when free agency began? Has anyone seen Walker, Paye or Koonce on milk cartons?
IMO, the 2026 defense is toast. Next year is the earliest we can expect improvement. My fear is, will keeping Rob Leonard cost us another year. Meanwhile, the Raiders will never be the Oakland Raiders we once knew. That pirate ship has sailed.
In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray eventually figures it out. Will (or can) the Raiders? That's the $64k question.
I had a couple (pun intended) other thoughts about the game. Two reverses on kickoffs; two fumbles by our league-best TE duo; and two touchbacks by the 49ers D in their own end zone. That's a recipe for disaster in any game.
I expect the Raiders to be sellers before the trade deadline. I think they will (mistakenly) keep Cousins, while JPJ and possibly Crosby get traded. Powers-Johnson is a power-blocking mauler but that doesn't fit the Raiders zone scheme. Some other NFL team will school the Raiders when JPJ starts for them and becomes a solid OL. Another wasted 2nd rd pick.
I dont feel terrible about the team. We knew it was a complete rebuild yet we are at 4-5 and "still in the hunt". I also think they beat Seattle next week. The Raiders can score with anyone. Yesterday the Meyer fumble the Brock fumble the end zone interception that could be anywhere from 10-17 points take out the pick six etc and the raiders would have been competitive. Thats the silver lining lol. The running game is perplexing, but I am hopeful that improves with time and someone surfaces at LG.
The defense is putrid. That being said I have hope for the young secondary. Stukes is a legit starter, and one CB will emerge from Porter, Masses or McCoy maybe if we are lucky two. DT someone here mentioned they have not addressed that positon properly and its obvious. I remember when the Raiders brough in Parrela and Sam Adams I guess that was 2001? Maybe they need to go the FA route at that position next year though DTs are just really hard to find on the FA market.
Sandy
That begs the question, why is the Raiders defense putrid? They were very deliberate and spent the most time and money on defense. Is there a bigger problem?
I said why because of personnel they don't have any defensive tackles they can't stop the run on the interior and they can't get any pocket push on the pass rush. I don't blame most of it on Leonard. Sandy
This game was a case of self inflicted mistakes. Just too many yo overcome. I don't know if Raiders win it, but game should have been much closer in 4th quarter.
Yes, defense is epically bad, but bad teams always find ways to lose. Mike Mayer alone cost the Raiders two TD's. He's a good player, but where is his mind at ?
So you always hear, we gotta change the culture, about losing teams. How to you get a good player like Mayer, and get him to make smart decisions on the field ?
At this point, the defense looks beaten from the start of the game. You can see their body language, shoulders slumped, heads bowed down,...defeated. Is it as simple as, Raiders just need better players ? Could be, but like I said, good players have to play smart as well. It's a vicious cycle, it haunts both the offense, and defense. Just when they need a smart play, they get a dumb one instead.
I think Kubiak will turn it around. But he needs help from Spytek to find the players. We shall see.
I have my questions going forward. First, is Rob Leonard in over his head? Most appalling moment is dropping DT Tonka Hemingway to cover McCaffrey. There are plays where DLine looks like they are not even trying. Something needs to change with defensive play calling.
Second, is the run game and blocking. Raiders need to deep dive as to why inside line cannot get a body on a defender in the run game? Why are they not able to get to second level blocking? When opponent stacks the box, why are we not running outside? Is Jeanty the dude for us? This game shouldn't be this hard, but for some reason, Raiders just cant seem to get it together
Love all the takes, it's helping me process what I saw and be more hopeful
The trade deadline is tomorrow. Raiders have been surprisingly quiet with any transactions since they signed a wave of players at the start of free agency, when Spytek was handing out 3-year deals like candy. Now some of those deals (players) don't look so great. Yet, if Leonard is doing his job, then the defensive roster needs another thorough overhaul.
We're back to the chicken or the egg theory.
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