The Raiders offense has never been worse than it was under Chip Kelly, and the veteran offensive coordinator’s firing was a welcomed development last month.
But for some of those closest to the organization, the decision to move on from Kelly was a surprise.
Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers talked about the organizational power structure in Las Vegas this week and said he was under the impression Kelly had been answering to Tom Brady this year, as opposed to head coach Pete Carroll.
“I didn’t think his boss was ever Pete Carroll,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast.
“When a guy that’s supposedly underneath one guy and he’s actually not underneath him, it’s hard to establish who’s calling what. So when Chip Kelly got fired, I think it surprised all of us only because I thought he answered to Tom Brady, where Pete Carroll answered to Mark Davis. I didn’t see that dynamic really being the way that it should have been.”
“And that’s why… they’ve got to get their power structure in place before they make any kind of decisions. Or else it’s going to be the same. It’s going to be rinse and repeat, just might be different names involved in it.”
There were reports last month that Carroll hijacked Kelly’s offense this season, but Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said wasn’t the case.
“Any type of reporting that Pete meddled or did anything to sabotage [the offense], I’m not calling the reporter out, but I’m calling out whoever the source is,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“I was directly involved and I’m not basing this on anything Pete Carroll has ever said to me. I’m not going to tell you who told me because that’s not how this works. When someone talks to you off the record and gives you information, you protect that identity… my only rule with any source is if it’s determined that you lied to me, I will expose you as my source,” Carpenter continued.
“The person who told me definitively that Chip ran the offense has never come out and publicly denied that, so unless I find out they have, I won’t name the person. But I can tell you definitively this was Chip’s offense. I have a sneaking suspicion who is behind those rumors [that Kelly was running Carroll’s offense], and I bet if I gave you a guess, you would not be able to guess who I think it is.”
Carpenter never clarified who he believes was behind the rumors that Carroll sabotaged Kelly’s offense, but there’s a good chance be believes it was someone discussed above.
x: @raidersbeat
I think you might me onto something. Carrol is an outstanding coach everywhere he coached and Kelly has been an outstanding coordinator, but they have to be on the same page. If chip kelly is listening to someone else other than Caroll that will cause a dysfunctional offense during the game.
I feel certain this was the case. Tom Brady had no business undercutting the HC’s authority, and it leads me to think Pete will be back next season after he chooses his own OC. i don’t like that he’s so committed to Geno. It makes me wonder how Pete finally got Kelly fired, going straight to Mark Davis, I assume. That leads me to deduce that Brady may not have as much influence in the future. He should be an advisor at best, as he has no experience running a football organization.
I must wonder on this Marvelous Christmas Day why over the last week so many are trying to Protect the Fraud Coach Named Pete Carroll… it is beginning to sound like he is just a Powerless Old Man who is just not in the Right Circumstance – nothing is his Fault… What a Joke… Look at his Complete Record… the only thing that he is Really Good at is Selling himself as something he is obviously not andProtecting his worthless sons…
Ding,ding,ding winner! He no longer offers anything to the NFL let alone the Raiders. He should’ve never been hired nor Chip. Ben Johnson should’ve never got the chance to sign with Chicago. Now I’m not sure where to go from here as majority of HC possibilities are defensive coaches. Not that the defense doesn’t need a major overhaul, but as long we lose out and get the #1 we’re going QB who will need a steady hand to lead him.
The defensive coaches need overhauling as well. Graham has been there for a few years and the defense has not performed well.
Directly involved? In what? How was Hondo Carpenter directly involved in anything? This dude talks more bullshit than a car salesman.