The Raiders haven’t performed well on offense or defense this year, but the unit that has at least held its own (at times), has been defense.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has survived three coaching regimes in Las Vegas, but it feels like his time might be running out with this one.
No one has reported on it, but there are some dots that can be connected based on comments in recent weeks.
This week, Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers pointed out that Graham’s defense doesn’t appear to be the same scheme it was prior to Pete Carroll joining the Raiders.
“I don’t know, and maybe Lincoln has a better idea, I don’t know if this is necessarily 100 percent what Patrick Graham wants to run defensively. It feels like it’s a marriage between his defense and Pete Carroll’s defense,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast.
Myers’ co-host, Lincoln Kennedy, said he definitely believes Graham is doing things differently with Carroll in the building.
“Yeah, that’s exactly right. I do not think this is Patrick Graham’s defense,” Kennedy said. “When I see some of the things that they’re running out there, that is not what I’ve watched Patrick Graham do in his coaching career. I think it is a collaboration between Pete Carroll and Patrick Graham. I’m certain with that.”
Prior to the season, Myers said he thought it was interesting that Carroll wanted Graham to coach from the sideline, as opposed to from the coaches’ box where he had so much success last year.
These were his comments in the first week of September.
“I’m interested to see what Patrick Graham looks like coaching from the field as opposed to the booth. I liked him in the booth, getting that All-22 view,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast on September 3. “But Coach Carroll said he liked him on the field. He likes to be able to communicate with him. He likes him to be able to look into the players eyes and talk to them and get the energy of the game as well. So we’ll see how that plays out.”
“But what I feel like is almost a guarantee is that the defense that we’ve seen from Patrick Graham the past few years is not going to look the exact same this year under Pete Carroll,” Myers continued. “His influence will definitely be seen in a major way.”
Devin White talked about the Carroll/Graham dynamic in October
Earlier in the season, veteran linebacker Devin White made a comment that went under the radar a little but essentially acknowledged that there have been some bumps in the road for Graham and Carroll.
“We’re starting to find out our identity, who we are, because you got Coach Pete and you got Coach [Patrick Graham]. They clashing together, two good defensive-minded guys trying to find our identity and I think that’s what’s going on,” White said last month.
Insider shared cryptic comment on Graham last week
Apply the above comments to a cryptic message from Sports Illustrated Hondo Carpenter last week, and it definitely sounds like Graham might be figuring out he hasn’t found an ideal situation in Las Vegas.
“I’m going to withhold discussion on [Patrick Graham] until after the year. I just think there are some things I could say that would not be beneficial to [Graham] or the organization. And out of respect for both, I will address that in great detail in the off season,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“It would be a colossal screw up by the Raiders if they lost PG,” Carpenter continued. “If I was PG, I don’t know that I would want to stay. I’ll just leave it there.”
Do with those comments what you will, but the missing pieces of the puzzle probably aren’t hard to figure out.
And one other note to add on the coaching situation in Las Vegas…
If Chip Kelly isn’t going to be back next year (as many assume he won’t) and it’s sounding more like Graham won’t be back, either… is there a chance the organization is going to go ahead and hit the reset button at head coach, too?
x: @raidersbeat
Hondo is so full of bullshit. Insider my ***.
Please fix this URL . It keeps crashing
Grandma will never blitz. And he keeps the same guys on the field that repeatedly get roasted over and over again. Bend don’t break philosophy, his garbage and his outdated as Al’s cover zero forever.
Grandma has one move and no counter.
Just a wasted year (once again) Ever since Mark refused to give Rich a shot the team has only got worse. Why no offer was ever extended to Ben Johnson is beyond me. Could’ve offered him double from what Chicago gave him as he would’ve been worth it. Beyond coaching the roster has invaded by Ex-Hawks whom shouldn’t be in the league with several as starters. To me it looks like either Pete or Spy need to leave, preferably Pete.