Rob Ninkovich has been out of the NFL for five years (hard to believe it’s been that long), but his platform at ESPN has kept him close to NFL.
Last week, Ninkovich offered his opinion of the Raiders going into the 2021 season and his breakdown of the organization wasn’t particularly flattering. He made a handful of arguments against the Raiders being contenders in the AFC West, but his opening statement of was directed specifically at defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
“They are at the bottom of the barrel [in the AFC West],” Ninkovich said of the Raiders. “Good luck playing cover 3 against Kansas City. They are not going to be anywhere at the top fighting for the division.”
What Ninkovich didn’t say or maybe didn’t know is that Bradley actually has enjoyed success against the Chiefs high-powered offense. Those that follow the Chiefs, and the NFL for that matter, are well aware of this.
Last year, the Chargers under Bradley held the Chiefs to 20 points in regulation in the second week of the season (Pat Mahomes did not play in their second matchup) and it wasn’t just an aberration. In 2019, the Chargers held Mahomes to 182 and 174 yards passing in their two contests.
So before tossing around lazy narratives about a defensive coordinator like Bradley, Ninkovich probably should have done a little research… or at least had Bill Belichick or Tom Brady do it for him.
For what it’s worth, Bradley has actually enjoyed some success against Lamar Jackson (who the Raiders face in week 1), too…
Jackson, in that 2019 Wild Card game, was held to 54 yards rushing and both Baltimore running backs were held to under three yards per carry – something that didn’t happen even once during the regular season that year.
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