The Oakland Raiders have one goal and one goal only in 2016. To make the playoffs. To make the postseason a team needs to win games, and to do that a team needs to score more points than the opposition. It’s that simple. In a wide-open AFC, the Raiders have enough talent on defense to slow down opposing teams, but do they have the offensive firepower to out score them? Absolutely.
Oakland Raiders Postseason Chances in Good Hands With Offense
Big Men Up Front: The Nimble Tone Setters
Its no secret general manager Reggie McKenzie loves his big men up front. In 2015 he handed out a huge contract to center Rodney Hudson and in 2016 he paid left guard Kelechi Osemele very handsomely. The interior trio of Hudson, Osemele and, 2014 third round pick, guard Gabe Jackson should prove to be an elite combination. Osemele and Jackson are both elite level pulling guards. Osemele has quickness and mobility that is rarely seen in men of his size. While Jackson doesn’t quite have the range and discipline of Osemele, he is bigger and when his blocks land he can seal off anyone.
You would be hard pressed to find a more formidable interior trio in the NFL. Jackson must learn to play right guard and the group as a whole must learn to play together, but it will only be a matter of time before they are all on the same page. Closing out games by running the ball is crucial in today’s NFL and with Jackson, Hudson, and Osemele in front of Latavius Murray, there should be literally nothing that stands in the way.
The Tackles
Donald Penn has continued his career resurgence in Oakland as a more than capable blindside protector for quarterback Derek Carr. Penn is a large man with a powerful frame and impeccable footwork. Good footwork is critical for today’s NFL left tackle. With many teams lining up their best pass rushers on the left side of an offensive formation a left tackle must be able to handle power rushers as well as speed rushers. Penn’s strength allows him to hold his ground at the point of attack against power rushers. His great footwork allows him to maintain the edge and not allow speedy edge players to get a free shot at Carr.
Right tackle is the “weak spot” on the line and former second-round pick Menelik Watson is battling incumbent starter Austin Howard for the spot. Watson is an intriguing tools prospect with the natural size and strength to a be a quality right tackle but he has yet to stay healthy for an entire season. So far this off-season Watson has the edge but even if he misses time again this season Howard has shown he is more than capable at holding down a starting spot on the offensive line.
Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree: Thunder and Lighting
The two best players on the Raiders offense wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Cooper was the first Raiders rookie receiver to post over 1,000 receiving yards in a season and catch more than 45 passes. The former Alabama Crimson Tide receiver caught 72 balls last season despite leading the league in dropped passes. Drop are one of the very few areas where Cooper needs to improve. Coming out of college there was no other receiver anywhere close to his level in terms of route running. While he may not be the fastest receiver in the league, Cooper does have 4.4 speed and uncanny elusiveness with the ball in his hand.
What makes Cooper even more dangerous is that along with his Barry Sanders-esk elusiveness and phenomenal route running, he can high point the ball with almost anybody. He has solid size (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) and his athleticism is off the charts. Cooper has a natural feel for the position of receiver and has shown the ability to get up and bring down 50/50 balls. As a 22-year old there are obviously some aspects of his game he needs to improve. He needs to work on eliminating drops, which should not be a huge problem. Cooper’s overall toughness and physicality will also need to improve. But that’s something that should come with NFL maturity and confidence. Cooper is an immensely talented receiver who will only continue to grow and become an elite wide out sooner rather than later.
Crabtree
If Cooper is the lighting than Crabtree is the thunder. Crabtree is the perfect complement to the young Cooper. Crabtree is bigger (6-foot-2, 216 pounds) and does the things that Cooper cannot. He excels at making contested catches and is never afraid to mix it up with an opposing defensive back. Crabtree has shed his image of a diva receiver and has become a quiet leader and fantastic presence in the film room in Oakland. He oozes confidence and is an excellent role model as a receiver for Cooper, even though they are two are very different types of receivers. Crabtree has formed a great rapport with Derek Carr and very rarely drops a pass. Crabtree’s best assets are his hands and route running. While Cooper has shown the ability to shake opposing tacklers Crabtree has ability to run through defensive backs with his natural strength.
While neither Crabtree or Cooper is a prototypical number one receiver like Antonio Brown, Dez Bryant or Julio Jones, they form a 1A 1B punch that few teams can boast. They have different skill sets both fit perfectly into Bill Musgrave‘s diverse offense. Their combination of route running and ability to gain yards after a catch are perfect for an offense that attacks the field both vertically and horizontally. The Raiders certainly have the receivers to run such an offense with success, and their quarterback helps the offense go.
Derek Carr
Yes, the Raiders have the talent on defense to keep teams off the board, they have a fantastic offensive line, and plenty of young skill players. But they aren’t making the playoffs if they don’t have the quarterback. Fortunately for Raider Nation, they do. Derek Carr had all the tools coming out of college; prototypical size, good mobility, and an absolute cannon of an arm. Carr can make any throw in the playbook. The only knocks on him were that he struggled under pressure and played in the Mountain West.
Fast forward two years and Carr has improved vastly against the blitz and has shown he belongs in the NFL. He is a natural born leader and quite possibly the most popular man in the Raiders locker room. Oakland’s signal caller improved dramatically in his second year in the pros. Carr increased his passer rating by 14.5 points from 76.7 to 91.1. Carr also improved his yards per attempt from a paltry 5.5 to a respectable 7.0. He also threw for 12 more touchdowns (32 in 2015 after 21 in 2014) in his sophomore campaign. Carr threw the second most touchdown passes by a second year pro. The only player to have more? Dan Marino.
Improvements
What makes the Raiders truly dangerous this year is that Derek Carr hit a sophomore slump the last several weeks of the 2015 season. Carr threw only 8 touchdowns to 7 interceptions weeks 13 through 17. But that slump coincided with Cooper’s injured his foot. When Cooper was healthy Carr threw for 253.4 yards per game, 7.79 yards per attempt and had an impressive 24:6 touchdown to interception ratio.
This spells trouble for the AFC in 2016, as Carr, Cooper, and Crabtree are all currently healthy. Those three players have another year in the same system and another year of building their chemistry. While Carr may not improve at the same rate he did from his rookie to sophomore year, the smart money says he will continue to grow and get better in his third year. And that should scare the rest of the AFC West. Save the date Raider Nation, with Derek Carr in the driver’s seat, two play makers in Cooper and Crabtree, and a solid offensive line, the Oakland Raiders will finally make it back to the playoffs in 2016.
Check out our look at the Raiders Defense here.
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