Going into Week Seven, the Oakland Raiders sit at 4-2, first in the AFC West. Wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree have been fantastic thus far, and Derek Carr has been nothing short of a dark horse MVP candidate, save for one ugly game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week Six. After twelve years of incompetence, the arrow for the Raiders is firmly pointing up. Things aren’t perfect, however. The franchise lacks a consistent running game, a defense, and legit receiving options outside of Cooper and Crabtree, but what may be the biggest issue is the Oakland Raiders identity crisis.
The Oakland Raiders Identity Crisis
Misleading Mission Statement
At the beginning of his tenure, head coach Jack Del Rio said he wanted this Raiders team to be tough, disciplined, play good defense, and be very physical. So far, they are none of these things. However, if we were looking at the word tough with a mental connotation, it would be fair to say this team does have some mental fortitude. They’ve trailed in almost all of their games, but for the most part have found a way to win. This is in thanks in no small part to the play of Derek Carr. A great quarterback can hide a lot of flaws on a sub-par team.
However, Carr can’t hide the fact that the team is not physical and not disciplined. Through six games, the Raiders have been penalized 52 times for 411 yards. Del Rio keeps saying the penalty situation will sort itself out, but week in and week out this team keeps shooting themselves in the foot. Its one thing if a defensive back gets called for holding or pass interference, but far too often the Raiders offensive line is called for false starts and holds that negate positives plays and stall drives.
The Raiders as a team are not good enough to take points from themselves and off the board. Del Rio must get his team more focused and take away the sloppiness or pretty soon these holding calls are going to start taking away game-winning touchdowns instead of third quarter first downs.
Soft Up Front on Both Sides of the Ball
Jack Del Rio also preached physicality up front on both sides of the ball, but the offensive and defensive lines may be the softest units on the team. The Raiders excel in pass protection but cannot run the ball against teams that have even just an average defensive line.
And the Raiders defensive front seven? They’re currently giving up 132 yards per game on the ground. That’s not physical, and that’s not toughness. Opposing offensive lines are having their way with the Raiders defensive line and linebackers. The inside linebacker play has not been good. The gamble of starting Ben Heeney and Malcolm Smith has already backfired, as those two were replaced as soon as Reggie McKenzie found suitable replacements. But even the injection of rookie Corey James and veteran Perry Riley Jr. has not aided a defense that is among the worst in the league.
Despicable Defense Coached by a Defensive Minded Head Coach
Del Rio’s specialty is defense, or rather was his defense. The 2016 Oakland Raiders defense so far has been, well, despicable. Teams are simply having their way with the Raiders and there seems to be nothing the Raiders can do to slow anyone down. They’ve been far too susceptible to giving up huge plays, but have shown they can also be killed by a million paper cuts in Week Six when Alex Smith went 17 of 19, while nickel and diming his way to 26 points and over 36 minutes time of possession.
Each and every game on defense, the Raiders defense has looked a step slow, out of position, and just very unsure of what to do. That kind of unpreparedness rests squarely on defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and Jack Del Rio. They must do a better job of getting their defense ready to play or they’ll soon find you can’t make the playoffs giving up 27.2 points per game.
Fantastic Offense the Saving Grace of This Team
So what do the Raiders do well? In the word of Al Davis, “Throw deep baby!” Derek Carr is developing into one of the best young quarterbacks in the league and has been one of the most consistent signal callers all year. Like a great pitcher, he can light you up with a fastball slicing, fitting the ball into a tight window, or hit you with the 12-6 power curve, dropping in a beautiful fade pass that a defender has no chance of touching. There is not a throw that man cannot make. I
n every game the Raiders have played Carr has made a handful of beautiful deep throws, but despite his love to throw deep, Carr does an excellent job of taking care of the football. He has just four turnovers on the year and has accounted for 12 passing touchdowns. That’s a touchdown to turnover ratio any team would be pleased to live with.
As good as Carr is, credit must be shared with his top two targets, Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. Those two have been fantastic all year combing for 950 yards and six touchdowns. Crabtree, in particular, has been non-stop in the clutch, displaying great strong hands and always showing up for Carr when he needs a crucial first down. Cooper has improved on his hands from last year, lowering his drop rate down to around fiver percent, and working on keeping his feet in bounds. With his natural talent, size, and work ethic Cooper is well on his way to becoming one of the league’s top wide outs.
The Bottom Line
So what is this team? It’s not the group Jack Del Rio said it would be at the start of the season. This is an undisciplined, soft, squad that can throw the heck out of a football, but can’t stop anyone. A franchise must know who it is if it’s going to gel and work as a cohesive unit. Del Rio keeps trying to say this team is what he says, but the film does not lie. Del Rio must understand what he’s working with if he’s going to achieve optimal results.
Once he understands what this group’s identity is, he can get everybody on the same page and coach accordingly, getting the players to respond accordingly in the process. While this may not be a playoff team, it can win some games and be very fun to watch if they give the keys to Derek Carr and keep that terrible defense on the sidelines as much as possible.
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