The Raiders turned in one of their most embarrassing performances in franchise history on Sunday, and the organization seems to be moving closer to yet another critical point in its long-term trajectory.
The head coach, coordinators and starting quarterback have all been a disappointment in the first two months of the season, and Hall of Fame cornerback Eric Allen said Sunday’s loss most likely altered the priorities of the organization going forward.
“That was a season altering loss, in my opinion,” Allen said on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate.
“The reason why is because obviously the guys who put the pads on and go out are going to be on their weekly preparation [to] find ways to get better and go about that. Usually, everyone in the organization is pushing forward for that. We get better each week, we win a couple of games, and you are kind of finding your way, through the end of the season to hopefully be in a playoff situation.”
“Well, that loss says for the evaluators who are evaluating the team, they’re going to start pushing for their young draft picks to get some playing time,” Allen continued. “The front office folks are looking at how can we find a way to make sure the message for this football team is going forward. So now, instead of everyone pushing to, ‘Hey, let’s win this game, we can win that game,’ the playoff push, this veteran is going to be able to be healthy… it is a definitely season altering loss because now folks have to start really preparing themselves for what’s to come in the next couple of weeks. You have the free agency coming up, end of season, people are going to start making sure like draft picks and things like that.”
“I’m not saying the people on the football field, but now the evaluators, the people who are trying to develop the younger players. So now things are going to be a little bit different as far as the whole organization. This is just my opinion. The whole organization, instead of pulling for everyone pulling the same way for each week, thinking, ‘Hey, we can win this game, we can win that game.’ Now folks have to start to kind of think about how these younger players are going to affect our football team next year.”
Essentially, what Allen was saying is the 2025 season is developing into a two-month audition as the decision makers in the Raiders’ building decide who has a future with the organization and who does not.
For the first time since he was hired, there has been talk around head coach Pete Carroll not necessarily being the best fit for the Raiders, and a lot of the frustration within the organization around offensive coordinator Chip Kelly hasn’t made its way to the public yet.
Geno Smith looks more like a candidate to be cut than a starting quarterback, and the defense looks nothing like the Patrick Graham defenses we’ve seen in the past.
It seemed unthinkable that the current coaching staff would be on the hot seat so soon, but if the Raiders don’t play better than they have in the last few weeks, there aren’t a lot of obvious reasons to keep the coaching staff around for an encore.
Yahoo and FOX Sports host Jason Fitz is one of the most respected commenters in the Raider media circles, and he believes the Raiders might need to move on from Carroll after the season.
“Pete Carroll needs to step down as the coach of the Raiders,” Fitz said on Tuesday. “Maybe not today. Maybe not until the end of the season, but it is now abundantly clear that he is not going to be the answer for what long-term ails the franchise.”
“You know me… I think it’s fair to say I’m not over reactionary or a shock jock and I think you also know that as we came into this season, my expectations were that the Raiders would be a seven-win team. I didn’t come in calling for the playoffs. So when I say this, I’m not saying this because wi expectations weren’t being met. I’m saying this because the timeline no longer meets the coach’s timeline.”
“It’s really simple,” Fitz continued. “When you have a coach that openly admitted at the podium this week that they are further behind than he expected they would be, my question becomes what does the real rebuild look like?”
“It’s obviously not Geno [Smith] with Chip Kelly. It’s obviously not working this season, so now you’ve got to look at it and say ‘Okay, are we going to draft a quarterback? Are we going to bring in a new offensive staff? Are we going to start this glorious rebuild process?’ And if you do that, how do you do that with a coach that’s already the oldest coach in NFL history to stand on the sideline during a game?”
“There’s no way, in my mind If you are starting a rebuild, which I believe takes 2 or 3 seasons, Pete Carroll won’t be around to see the end of it. So, the sooner you figure out who’s actually going to run your team through the next 10 years through this rebuild process, the better for the organization.”
x: @raidersbeat
I don’t see Carroll throwing in the towel he’s got to big of an ego. It is time for a rebuild again, the Browns of the west. If we aren’t going to evaluate our young players it’s time to trade our better players for draft picks. Bowers and Jeanty and maybe a young corner and JPJ should be off the table but everyone else should be fair game. Hate to see Maxx go but it’s not fair to him to be part of this mess. Davis should sell the team and stick to woman’s bball.
The best description of the Raiders are lyrics by Kendrick Lamar, “they not like us.”
Bench Geno Smith and stop starting Donte Thornton. That’s step 1
This last game was the epitome and proof that our front office and especially our Head Coach has no skill in Player evaluation. It showed that many of the men playing right now could not make the Practice Squad of a majority of other NFL Teams. Starts at the top and sinks rapidly from there.
Brady brought over his buddy as GM, and he in turn flopped. Drafting a bunch of project players who can’t even get on the field on a poorly talented team.
CRICKETS!