Four games into the 2023 season and 21 games into the Las Vegas Patriots… I mean *Raiders* experience and, once again, the pupils have shown that they cannot excel without the teacher. Josh McDaniels, we are looking at you.
The Offensive Brilliance Of Josh McDaniels
- 4th-most giveaways (10)
- 4th in penalty yards (267)
- 8th in fumbles lost (3)
- 9th in total penalties (28)
- 15th in first down passes (45)
- 16th in TD passes (5)
- 17th in total passing yards (866)
- 19th in average yards per play (4.9)
- 19th in passes attempted (133)
- 18th in passes completed (88)
- 20th in first downs (76)
- 26th in points (62)
- 26th in yards (1,127)
- 28th in total plays (230)
Continuity is paramount to continued success in anything one may do. Firing coaches in Year 1 or 2 of their tenure isn’t conducive to success; sadly, the Silver and Black have a history of doing so. Josh McDaniels received a vocal show of support from Raiders owner Mark Davis at the beginning of the season, but with 21 games under McDaniels’ belt, there hasn’t been a single turnaround in sight.
Weighing the balance between execution and an inability to tailor the scheme to the players has been a common issue of head coaches coming from the Bill Belichick coaching tree. It would be easy to say McDaniels can’t coach, but that’s not true. Saying he can’t lead men is far more accurate. Questioning his boneheaded decision-making has been a national pastime for Raider Nation.
Nearly everything McDaniels has done has set this team on a backward trajectory. There is zero urgency, whether it’s poor clock management or lousy field goal decisions. There is no proper sense of when to push buttons to change speeds and make things happen. In successive weeks, McDaniels has cost his team victories by not knowing when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.
Poor Decision-Making Haunts The Silver And Black
Let’s call a spade a spade. Choosing not to run the football inside the ten-yard line with a red-hot Josh Jacobs — who already had a rushing touchdown in the game — was stupid. There have been quite a few head-scratching decisions and instances where McDaniels found something working and then went away from it.
Opting to kick a field goal when down by eight points inside of three minutes to go in the game and potentially five opportunities to gain eight yards is unforgivable and inconceivable. Yet, somehow, Josh McDaniels, the super genius, came up with an NFL first.
McDaniels’ Stifled Passing Attack
- 1st in interceptions thrown (7)
- 4th in bad throw percentage (19.2%)
- 7th in average completed air yards (6.8)
- 8th in bad throws (26)
- 8th in completed air yards (600)
- 10th in intended air yards per attempt (8.2)
- 14th in yards gained per completion (10.8)
- 16th in yards per game (216.5)
- 17th in completion percentage (66.2%)
- 21st in on-target throws (93)
- 26th in quarterback rating (77.5)
- 27th in on-target throw percentage (71.0%)
- 27th in adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (5.5)
- 27th in yards after catch (347)
- 30th in drops (3)
- 32nd in longest completion (32 yards)
During the course of 21 games, we have seen four quarterbacks under center for the Raiders. While the execution of said offense hasn’t been good enough, there are conceptual issues. Quarterbacks are forced to make decisions early and get the ball out quickly because of the lapses in pass protection. We were told that a change was necessary at quarterback. What we’ve seen has shown anything but.
Garoppolo Looks Lost
Jimmy Garoppolo has been the same up-and-down quarterback as his predecessor. Throwing late, staring down receivers, and having ball placement issues so bad that receivers are taking headshots worthy of entering concussion protocol. To make matters worse, Garoppolo’s lack of arm strength has led to the shortest “big passing play” in the league of 32 yards. Even worse, Jimmy G currently leads the league in interceptions.
Defenses have no need to fear the deep ball and are flooding the first 15 yards from the line of scrimmage with defenders. The Raiders may love Jimmy “the man”, but Garoppolo “the player” has underdelivered on the promises made by Josh McDaniels and Co. Having cleared concussion protocol recently and being proclaimed the starter for Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers leaves mixed opinions. Garoppolo’s best football is behind him; we are watching his steady decline.
The Raiders’ Underwhelming Offensive Line
- fewest pressures (20)
- lowest pressured throw percentage (13.4%)
- 5th in pocket time (2.6 seconds)
- 12th in sack yards (81)
- 14th in sacks allowed (11)
- 30th in total yards before contact (162)
- 30th in average yards before contact (1.4)
- 15th-longest run (34 yards)
- 23rd in rushing touchdowns (2)
- 28th in rushing attempts (86)
- 29th in broken tackles (2)
- 31st in yards per carry (3.0)
- 32nd in rushing yards (261)
- 32nd in rushing yards per game (65)
- 32nd in total yards after contact (99)
- 24th in average yards after contact (1.2)
Controlling the line of scrimmage is where winning football games begins. Offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo did a masterful job last season with this group. However, this season has been considerably different from this version of that group. The changes and alterations were made, but they aren’t paying off.
What’s Wrong In Vegas?
Dylan Parham was a Day 1 starter and a really solid rookie for the Raiders in 2022. For whatever reason, this campaign has been a night and day difference. Frankly, it has been just short of an unmitigated disaster. The right side of the offensive line gets no push in the run game, and watching Parham pull to the right side is frightening. He simply isn’t quick enough in short areas when moving to his right; his footwork is sloppy, and he’s experiencing a sophomore slump.
Van Roten started the season by tipping plays, simply by how he lined up at the line of scrimmage. In the run game, his inability to get off the snap and start making a push upfield was rivaled only by Tyree Wilson’s snail-like pace. In pass protection, the former undrafted free agent has been hit or miss, capable of holding his ground but completely oblivious to tackle end-stunts or blitzes when he’s occupied.
Early in the offseason, Jermaine Eluemunor proclaimed himself and left tackle Kolton Miller would be the best tackle tandem in the league. Since then, they have been anything but that. Eluemunor has been playing the last four weeks with cement-filled cleats. There hasn’t been a pass rusher he’s faced that hasn’t beaten him off the ball without him barely getting a hand on them. Khalil Mack got the 28-year-old benched after torching him for multiple sacks early in the game against the Chargers. T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers sent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo into the concussion protocol.
Quietly, Miller hasn’t been much better either. Run blocking has been atrocious at the edges, as neither gets upfield to be effective at blocking the second and third levels. All in all, Josh McDaniels has witnessed constant regression on the offensive line.
Josh Jacobs Or Josh McDaniels? Who Deserves More Blame?
- 13th in yards after contact (79)
- 37th in average yards after contact (1.3)
- 38th in total yards before contact (78)
- 45th in average yards before contact (1.4)
How the mighty has fallen. Contract disputes and holdouts are murderous to production once ended, and Jacobs has been no different. Since holding out, the 2022 All-Pro and the Raiders have the worst rushing attack in the league. Jacobs didn’t come back from his holdout until the preseason had concluded. When he returned, he looked thicker, more solid, and rusty as hell, too.
While the blocking has been trash in the running game, Jacobs has been tap dancing in holes and not getting through them when they present themselves. Mixing zone blocking with gap blocking and running very little power has been largely ineffective. One would be remiss not to mention that defenses have been stacking the box with up to nine men at times. The deficiencies in the passing attack are tremendously impacting his ability to find rushing lanes, but there are no excuses.
Jacobs has been most effective in catching the ball out of the backfield, being targeted 25 times, and catching 18 passes for 173 yards. The game against the Chargers was his best by far as he looked to have finally knocked off the rust, got into a rhythm, and began to produce. If teams are going to load the box and stop the run, the offense must continue to throw check downs to him for 9.6 yards a pop all the way down the field.
2023 Raiders Rookie Watch
Michael Mayer: Two targets, one catch, 2 yards, one 2-pt conversion
By far, one of the biggest disappointments of the Raiders’ 2023 draft class is Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer.
Mayer was lauded for his blocking and red zone pass-catching abilities. He is in no danger of claiming the starting tight end position on the depth chart and has been getting bullied almost every down he’s on the field. Nearly every time the young tight end engages with a defender, he maintains a good position but gets stood up and driven backward time and time again.
His only catch in the field of play was a two-yard check down. His biggest play was catching a two-point conversion against the Steelers; short of that, he has been unable to give you much of anything.
Tre Tucker: One rush for 34 yards
Tucker is a major source of frustration, not for his play but for the lack of opportunities. Tucker has the longest plays from scrimmage in 2023, including ones that didn’t count due to penalty. The fly-sweep for 34 yards is the longest run and is longer than the furthest pass completion. Routinely using his speed to garner separation in the preseason, Tucker has been virtually unused in stretching the field. Why? Good question; only one person can answer that: Josh McDaniels.
Is O’Connell The Guy?
Aidan O’Connell: Three rushes for three yards, one rushing touchdown, and three fumbles — 24/39, 238 passing yards, one interception, 68.1 rating, 8.4 QBR
Should Aidan O’Connell be relegated to the bench after his performance against the Chargers? Three fumbles (two lost) and an interception would indicate that he should. But sneaking for a touchdown and throwing one to Davante Adams, which was incorrectly ruled down prior to the end zone, shouldn’t be overlooked.
Where does he lie? Probably somewhere in the middle of both extremes. AOC4 wasn’t discernably worse than anything seen by Garoppolo. In fact, it sounds like Raiders fans would rather watch him fail than watch Brian Hoyer do anything. There are many advantages to starting the rookie for the remainder of the season. He will get better with experience, plus he can and does stretch the field, making things easier for the run game.
Check-down passes look better when he throws them. It doesn’t mean he will win many games, but you might as well see what you have moving forward. One thing is certain for the Raiders… the answer hasn’t been Garoppolo.
*Top Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images