The entire saga surrounding Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders‘ offense is literally the epitome of irony. Regrettably, this is a fable that has Raider Nation feeling weary—apprehensive, perhaps. Yes, the team has been winning, but the “how” is not sustainable, especially not once the team gets past this stretch of “winnable” games. Oh boy, this could get ugly for the second-year coach.
For one, the situation surrounding Davante Adams could go south relatively quickly. Say the Raiders win in Chicago this week—another close, ugly win, if you will—only to get obliterated by the Detroit Lions the following week. It could very well prove what Adams is trying to echo—the missed opportunities and lack of execution are going to catch up sooner or later. Still, let’s call a spade a spade, a lot of this is McDaniels’ own doing.
What should Josh McDaniels do with the Raiders offense?
The quarterback situation is truly at the root of everything. For a lack of better terms, the oft-injured Jimmy Garoppolo is McDaniels’ “guy.” After jettisoning long-time starter Derek Carr following a very public divorce, it was evident that McDaniels would get his pick. That pick was “Jimmy G.” Even after Aidan O’Connell showed promise in his debut, substituting for Garoppolo, McDaniels was quick to remind everyone who held the keys to his offense.
While it’s not known when Garoppolo will be back, unless either O’Connell or Brian Hoyer light it up, he’ll still be the starter. If that’s the case, the missed opportunities must stop. The question is: how do you do that? Opposing defenses aren’t afraid of McDaniels’ offense. They bring the house nearly every play; just ask Garoppolo himself.
While Raiders beat writer Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated let it be known that McDaniels is “p***** off.” Has the coach stopped to look in the mirror? If not for the emergence of Patrick Graham’s defense, the Raiders could easily have an identical record as their opponent this Sunday.
When you look at the offense as a whole, the changes made by McDaniels—these were calculated moves that were to help him get the unit going. Carr is gone, Darren Waller is gone, and Hunter Renfrow has been iced out of the offense entirely. You then couple that with the regression of the offensive line; it’s a disaster.
At this point, the Raiders need something to jump-start the offense. Maybe, just maybe, a quarterback controversy could help, right? O’Connell airs it out; the Raiders win, but Garoppolo is then set to return. What do you do? Either that or Josh McDaniels is just doomed, cursed—pick your synonym.
*Top Photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports