Last Sunday the Oakland Raiders lost to the Atlanta Falcons by seven points. The score was close for most of the game, with the Raiders simply failing to get the stops they needed to late in the fourth quarter. The Raiders defense, and corner back Sean Smith in particular, have received most of the blame, but there is a vocal minority that actually blames the offense. Specifically, some fans are blaming the conservative play-calling of offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave.
What does #RaiderNation think of OC Bill Musgrave?
— LWOS Raiders (@LWOS_Raiders) September 22, 2016
Bill Musgrave Isn’t the Oakland Raiders Problem
The Passing Game
After two weeks, quarterback Derek Carr is on pace for 4,944 yards, 32 touchdowns, and zero turnovers. Obviously two weeks is too small of a sample size, and Carr is bound to have a bad game at some point. Eventually the Raiders signal caller will encounter an elite secondary or pass rush, deal with a nagging injury, or just wake up on the wrong side of the bed. But those in Raider Nation have been blaming Bill Musgrave and the offense so that sample size will have to do.
The signing of Kelechi Osemele has been huge for the Raiders, and the offensive line has been just as good, if not better, as experts predicted they would be. Carr has barely been pressured through two games, and he’s had plenty of time to find his exceptionally-talented receivers.
Even though Amari Cooper hasn’t found the endzone yet in 2016, he’s been playing out of his mind. Cooper currently leads the team with 11 catches for 208 yards. Cooper’s counterpart, Michael Crabtree, has been bringing his “A” game as well. Crabtree has also caught 11 passes, but has amassed 118 receiving yards and a touchdown thus far. Second-year tight end Clive Walford has also come into his own, catching nine passes for 75 yards and a pretty touchdown.
The Raiders passing attack has improved dramatically since the lackluster finish to last season. Carr, his offensive line and the Raiders receivers will look to put the league on notice when they travel to take on the Tennessee Titans this week.
The Running Game
As a unit, the Raiders are on pace to rush for 2,576 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. Between Latavius Murray, DeAndre Washington, Jalen Richard and even fullback Jamize Olawale, the Raiders have had no problems running the ball so far in 2016.
Only the Carolina Panthers have more rushing yards through two games, and no team has a higher yards per carry average (6.4 yards) or touchdown total (four) than Oakland. Considering that 13 teams run the ball more than the Raiders, the success they’ve had on the ground is pretty exceptional.
The interesting thing is that the Raiders aren’t doing it in chunks. While some might think all of the Raiders rushing yards have come on plays like Richard’s 75-yard touchdown run, that was one of only two Raider rushes to go for at least 20 yards. The Raiders are simply winning the game in the trenches and allowing their backs to pick up respectable gains every time they touch the ball.
The Smart Plays
The biggest criticism of Bill Musgrave, and even Derek Carr, has been that they tend to get conservative with the ball. On third down and long, the Raiders might opt to run a draw or throw a short pass instead of going for the deep ball. The majority of the time, these plays end up being ineffective, and the Raiders end up failing to reach the first down marker.
Fans are right to be frustrated by this. It feels like Musgrave and the offense have simply given up on the drive. These plays rarely pick up huge chunks, and more often than not, Oakland ends up punting on those drives.
However, Oakland is not wrong for taking that approach. While it’s true that the Raiders don’t convert every third down, another thing they haven’t done a lot of is turning the ball over. In fact, through the first two games of this season, the Raiders have yet to turn the ball over once. Carr hasn’t yet thrown an interception, and none of the 19 Raiders receivers and running backs who have handled the ball have fumbled. The Raiders have been taking care of the ball, and that sets up the next part of this argument.
The “King” of Field Position
What fans don’t understand is that the game of football really does have three phases. While Raider Nation would like to see the offense running up and down the field and the defense suffocating opposing offenses, they need to recognize that special teams play a huge role. With the kickoff rule changes in full effect, punts are more important than ever.
Assume, hypothetically speaking, that the other team kicks the ball off and Johnny Holton decides to take a knee in the endzone. Derek Carr and the offense get the ball at the 25-yard line. They get a couple of first downs, but ultimately face third and eleven around their own 45 yard line. The Raiders have to choose, do they try to pick up the first down or do they take the conservative play?
They could try a big play down the field, which could pick up the first down, but Carr’s pass could also be intercepted or fall incomplete. The reward is high (first down), but the risk may be higher (turnover). However, pretend that instead they hand the ball off to DeAndre Washington.
There’s a chance that Washington breaks loose and picks up the first down, but in all likelihood, he probably just lurches forward for five or six yards. If it’s late in the game, the Raiders have a more manageable fourth down, but if it’s early, Marquette King and the punt team come on.
King, one of the best punters in the league, is averaging about 51 yards per punt so far this season when he boots it. Of the five punters with the highest average, King has landed the most punts inside the 20 (with four). So instead of forcing a play and having it land incomplete or become a turnover, the other team starts their drive deep inside their own twenty.
In Summation
The Raiders are currently the number-one offense in the National Football League. It’s only been two weeks, but that is the same sample that have fans bashing Musgrave and the Raiders offense so feverishly. The Raiders have many problems, but all of them are on defense. It makes no sense to criticize the offense or demand that the coordinator of the league’s best offense be fired.
