We are officially back! The wait is finally over. After months of pretending to care about other things, we can finally watch Las Vegas Raiders games again. Who cares if it’s preseason? Football is football. With the return of Raiders football comes the inevitable knee-jerk reactions. Let’s dive right in.
Who did Jackson Powers-Johnson p*** off?
Did offensive coordinator Chip Kelly not watch any film of Powers-Johnson from last year? The notion that Powers-Johnson does not have a defined position is absurd. However, that is the only conclusion we can draw from him playing three quarters in a preseason game. It is worth noting, Jordan Meredith did as well, but those two are not on the same level. They both seem to be engaged in a positional competition with Alex Cappa, vying for the role of center and right guard.
This is truly remarkable in and of itself. JPJ is the team’s best offensive lineman and his most natural position is center. You can place him in that position and then adjust the rest of the lineup accordingly. Additionally, considering his injury history and established talent, allowing him to participate in so many inconsequential snaps appears both reckless and disrespectful. However, maybe Kelly has a solid plan in mind?
The run game looked rough…
Speaking of Kelly, the big selling point for adding him to the coaching staff was his ability to put together a strong ground game. The Raiders come into this year with a fairly strong offensive line and an extremely promising rookie running back in Ashton Jeanty. It should not take a genius to make this work, although that is what Kelly has been billed as. Raider Nation was probably not impressed by their initial experience with the new running game.
Jeanty logged three carries for -1 yards and the team rushed for just 104 yards on 26 carries. Most of those yards came in the second half, when players who won’t be in the league next month were on the field. The problem seemed to stem more from the scheme than from players simply being outmatched at the point of attack. It seemed that the Raiders linemen were still trying to figure out their assignments.
Adapting to a new offense can lead to some confusion, but it’s crucial to address these issues promptly.
Let’s talk about the “new look” defense…
This offseason, the Raiders made significant changes to the back end of their defense, aligning with the theme of transformation. This new regime decided they no longer needed the services of the top three off-ball linebackers, the top three corners, and two of the top three safeties from last year. That is not normal. But, hey, the new regime would rather pay “their guys.” We have seen this situation before. With so many changes occurring simultaneously, this new group faces high expectations.
What we saw last night did not come close to meeting those expectations. The new linebacker corps, outside of Jamal Adams, looked slow and struggled to tackle. The same goes for the secondary. The only member of that group that looked impressive was the one guy that they actually retained, Isaiah Pola-Mao. Go figure. It’s okay, though, because at least Pete Carroll got his guys, right?
Related: Should Cam Miller Take Over As QB2?
*Top Photo: Getty Images