It seemed almost unthinkable a month ago, but is there a chance the Raiders and head coach Pete Carroll are moving toward a divorce at the end of the season?
It’s starting to feel that way, and if that’s the direction the situation is headed, there’s an argument to be made that the organization should just move on from him now.
It has become clear in recent weeks that the current coaching staff isn’t prioritizing the development of younger players and if that’s a trend Carroll isn’t willing to get away from, the Raiders might want to re-evaluate the best coaching situation for the remainder of this year.
Former Raiders offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse talked about Carroll’s mindset this week, and if Carroll isn’t interested in committing to a rebuild, Newhouse doesn’t believe Carroll and the current front office are a good fit.
“They got to figure out what they want to do. Ultimately, it’s just that simple. Whether Pete Carroll was a stop gap coach, maybe, one or two years and then we transition, but he doesn’t see it as that. His words don’t follow that,” Newhouse said on the Just Win podcast.
“I was a fan of his hire because of the culture that he could build, but if he’s mentally not here for a rebuild [and] the front office is, that to me can’t coexist. I think they’ve got to figure out the direction they ultimately really want to go in right now.”
Win or lose, what can’t happen for the remainder of the season is a scenario where the personnel department is left wondering what they have in their young players.
Second-round pick Jack Bech has to get more than a handful of snaps per game.
Third-round pick Darien Porter should be a starting cornerback (he’s arguably better than what they have been rolling out there, anyway), and the rookie offensive linemen have to be exposed to game situations.
One of the quickest ways for a front office to sour on a head coach is to watch draft picks fail to develop and/or not get opportunities.
Right now, Ashton Jeanty is the Raiders’ only rookie getting legitimate playing time and even he isn’t being used the way anyone expected going into the season.
There’s a chance that GM John Spytek and the powers that be in Las Vegas aren’t going to sign off on that approach for the remainder of the season – and if for some reason Carroll isn’t willing to change, there could be a scenario where the current coaching staff doesn’t remain intact until the end of the season.
x: @raidersbeat
Gee who said a year ago that this was all stupid? I’ve noticed Vinny is attacking Pete now after saying we cant keep firing coaches every year
Yeah, we keep firing HCs because of ineptitude at choosing the RIGHT HC. I do believe they made a strong push for Johnson, but he saw CHIs 1st rd QB, saw our crap QBs and his choice was an easy one. That goes for Harbaugh and even the guy from The Bucs who took the Jags job. Quality QBs usually seal the deal.
No reason not to give most of the playing time to the rookies for evaluation purposes. Afterall, we aren’t competing with the veterans that are currently starting. Pete was a bad hire for this team, he’s too old for the rebuild gig. Getting a good look at the rookies will help in evaluating Spytek, as well.