What was behind the Raiders uncanny offensive collapse this season?
Derek Carr talked on the record with Vic Tafur this week and offered a little insight into what he felt went wrong.
Via The Athletic:
“The first two weeks, we had great weeks. And then we go and play at Washington and had a bad game. OK, no big deal. Let’s move on and get better. But then somewhere in Weeks 4 and 5, we started running different things. … We had spurts, but we were trying to find out who we were again the rest of the season.”
A number of reports this season pointed to the Washington game as a turning point in the season and if Carr’s message is what it sounds to be, the coaching staff seems to have been shaken by the Redskins loss as much as the players.
Whether or not that’s the case, this much we know to be true…
Confidence eroded all season between the players and coaches until it became clear to owner Mark Davis that a cleanup effort needed to be put into place…
The cost of that cleanup?
$100 million.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Del Rio had to have been aware that Downing didn’t have the skill to be an OC . He also had to know if he pulled the trigger on Todd’s promotion they would need help from the defense until Downing and the offense gained their footing . But he kept Norton which offered no hope for defensive improvement , then threw Carr and Downing both under a bus , forcing them to try and carry the team . Then you had Tice and Downing squabbling over run blocking schemes and Del Rio reportedly lying about WHY he promoted Downing . The season w
Doomed before it ever started .
The coaching staff as a whole was moronic. Took a good team and made it crappy in a year. Glad they’re gone. Downing is a complete idiot. When you have a staff that turns on your franchise QB, something needs to be changed.
What bugs me about Delrio is that instead of cultivating the team that when 12-4, and keeping that continuity intact for years to come. He fires the main reason why they went 12-4 in the first place. Bill Musgrave. I understand he was worried about Todd Downey being taken by another team and promoted to OC, but that’s what happens in this business. You let other teams take that gamble. You don’t take that gamble after you already had found your footing. That was stupid, reckless and irresponsible for Delrio to promote Downing and fire Musgrave.
I know it’s easy to say that now, but the truth is. Anytime you promote a guy to handle a position he’s never handled before it’s a gamble. One usually struggling teams are willing to take. Not a 12-4 contending team.
Anyways, i’m extremely happy John Gruden is back with us. Derek car has never had an offensive minded head coach. Especially one with this much knowledge and playing designing ability. It’s going to be exciting to see what they come up with. Gruden hasn’t coached in about nine years, but I have a feeling he hasn’t lost a step.