The ugly: Whatever the **** this offensive line is
The Raiders have received a lot of well-earned slander over the last 20 years. What couldn’t be slandered was the offensive line the management had assembled to protect FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK Derek Carr. As bad as this team has been, it could always count on center Rodney Hudson. The Second-Team All-Pro center kept DC4 clean in the pocket and developed synchronicity that is impossible to duplicate. What competent organization would TRADE a player the caliber of Hudson? Probably the same organization that traded another All-World talent less than four years ago.
Every now and then Jon Gruden and Mayock do something you can’t defend. What about trading Trent Brown? That was fine. His heart was never in Vegas and his inability to remain a presence on the field showed that. Moving on from Gabe Jackson was also understandable. His play has been on the decline since signing his extension. Moreover, his name has been brought up as a cut candidate for quite some time now.
So how exactly have the Raiders patched their offensive line?
Trading Hudson, then paying his replacement Andre James — who has as many starts at center for the Raiders as sacks allowed by the departing Hudson — $6 million as a “vote of confidence” is simply inexcusable. Even the moves to balance this puzzling decision out only create more questions.
So you re-signed Denzelle Good (great), but you also brought back Richie Incognito (huh). They signed former Texans center Nick Martin to a multi-year contract, right before giving the previously mentioned $6 million to James. Do the Raiders expect Brandon Parker to be the everyday right tackle or do they intend to kick Good into that spot? Do they spend high draft capital on the offensive line yet again?
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The coaching staff isn’t helping matters either
And most importantly, can Tom Cable keep this illusion of being a good coach up much longer? There are clearly more questions than answers. We can all see the press conference now. It’s the winter of 2021 and the Las Vegas Raiders record is now 5-6. After a promising 4-1 start to begin the year, bewildered head coach Jon Gruden approaches the podium to address the media after being decimated at home in what he called a “must-win” game in the days leading up to it.
What was the main culprit behind the loss? A leaky offensive line that has struggled to open holes in the run game or keep Carr from getting his helmet ejected into the third row of the stands. Andre James continues to have communication issues with DC, resulting in two botched snap fumbles.
“Ya know,” Gruden says as he removes his hat and scratches what’s left of his blonde hair, “we’ve got a lot of young guys on this offensive line that are still trying to gel, man. But I have all the faith in the world in this coaching staff and in these players. This loss is on me. I’ve got to be better, we’ve got to be better and we will be better.”
It’s a good thing this upcoming draft class has a good amount of offensive linemen prospects.
The Raiders might need a handful of them.
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Top Photo: Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group