DeSean Jackson has never been one to keep his thoughts to himself and last year his comments led to a little bit of an awkward situation in the Raiders’ locker room for Davante Adams.
It’s no secret that Jackson isn’t a fan of Chip Kelly, and that has been evident all the way back to their time together with the Eagles.
This year, summer isn’t even here yet and Jackson has already been critical of how Kelly is coaching the Raiders’ first-round pick.
Kelly and Jeanty made headlines last week when Jeanty said Kelly would like to adjust the trademark pre-snap stance he was known for at Boise State. Jackson believes Jeanty’s production was enough in college that the Raiders’ coaching staff (specifically Kelly) should leave his stance alone.
“Honestly, he’s got to do better,” Jackson said about Kelly on the Up and Adams Show.
“I don’t want to say his name because I don’t like giving him light, but for his stance, I just feel like as a coach you have to do better because this guy has proven he was literally one of the best running backs in college football. He’s had the production, he still runs crazy, he led college football in yards.”
“To come in the NFL and try to change the stance up, I’m just not a fan of it,” Jackson continued. “At the end of the day, if he comes in and doesn’t have the production or he doesn’t do as well… then OK, let’s talk about it. But to try to do it before you even play one game, I just don’t like it.”
For what it’s worth, Kelly said last week that he hasn’t told anyone how to stand before the snap – but it does sound like he is in agreement that Jeanty would benefit from a more athletic posture.
“Let’s get that clarified,” Kelly said at the Raiders’ Thursday’s press conference. “Deland McCullough, our running back coach, is in charge of stances, steps, alignments, assignments, and techniques. So he talked to him about that. I gave him an analogy of an athlete being in a bent-knee position to make a play, and that kind of got blown into. I haven’t told anybody on this team to be in any stances because I don’t coach a position. But it’s a bent-knee game.”
“If you look at the before the ball snapped in baseball, or the pitcher throwing the baseball, everybody’s got their knees bent. In any athletic sport you’re playing, you’ve got to bend your knees. And if you’ve got to run a flat route on Fred Warner, you’d better be in a position to run, because that dude can fly. So, all we’re trying to do is put guys in positions to make plays.”
Based on Jeanty’s comments last week, there hasn’t been a determination on what his pre-snap stance will look like this year, so until something actually happens, there probably isn’t enough of a storyline to give the situation the kind of attention it received this week.
As for Jackson, he has officially entered the arena as a head coach, as well. This year will be his first season as head coach of the Delaware State football team.
x: @raidersbeat
Let Jeanty stand, it’s not track, this is a stupid, nitpicking change. You need to read the D and pick the holes. Won’t work Kelly, and you know, we know, Jeanty is already on record stating it was you.
Now your going to blame the RB coach. Way to go, pissed off both guys.
Why don’t you tell PG to have the LB’S get in a stance.
anyone whos played sports knows that **** isnt a big deal. to begin his run he needs to bend his knees, head start on the process. watch his tape in slow motion, whats his first move from standing straight up?
this isnt college, no need to try and stand out from that pack with some cool presnap ritual. you made it, now hit the gap, chris jones is waiting