The Las Vegas Raiders can’t get the run game going, and the problem may run deeper than the offensive line. Is Klint Kubiak’s staff running out of answers?
Kubiak spent much of Monday’s press conference accepting blame. Well, the questions about the backfield and offensive line suggest he has plenty to answer for.
Kubiak said running back Ashton Jeanty has “always been an excellent pass protector,” and that the team counts on him on third down both as a route runner and a blocker. But Kubiak acknowledged that Jeanty’s drops continue to show up and “have to get fixed as a coaching staff.” That is a notable admission about a former top-10 pick the Raiders built their offense around.
Then there is Mike Washington Jr. Asked what the rookie needs to improve to earn more playing time, Kubiak said Washington “just needs more opportunities, and that starts with me too.”
Yet in the fourth quarter against New England, Washington was on the field before a Patriots timeout. Dylan Laube then scored on a short touchdown run.
What’s going on with Klint Kubiak’s gameplan?
Kubiak explained that the team had practiced the play with Laube, and he wanted the player who had the practice reps. It is a defensible answer. Still, it sits awkwardly next to a coach who said just a day earlier that he wanted to give Washington more chances.
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The larger concern is the offensive line. The run game has lagged for several weeks, and Kubiak said “we have to look at everything,” including the possibility of shuffling personnel. He added that the problem has been a talking point for weeks without being fixed and that “this falls on me.”
Kubiak is a first-year head coach, and owning mistakes publicly is better than deflecting. Jeanty’s pass protection is a real strength, and drops can be corrected.
Repeated promises to resolve the same issues, without results, begin to sound like a pattern. Weeks of struggles with the same personnel suggest that Kubiak’s offense has not yet found a solution, despite the run game being its foundation. Giving Washington a chance only when it is convenient also sends a mixed message.
Accountability is a positive start, but it is not a plan. Kubiak says it falls on him. The next few games will show whether he can deliver changes beyond the words. Is Kubiak’s accountability enough, or does the run game need a more drastic overhaul?
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images