Lincoln Kennedy recently went on a Raiders podcast and offered a handful of opinions on the team for the upcoming season. He talked about Derek Carr, he predicted their 2020 win total, and where he feels the team has improved the most since last year.
He didn’t discuss the rumors linking the Raiders to Jadeveon Clowney and Yannick Ngakoue, but he did offer an explanation to why the Raiders might be considering an aggressive move to add a top pass rusher to their defensive line rotation.
“You have to find a way to get pressure on the quarterback with rushing four,” Kennedy told Heidi Fang on the Vegas Nation podcast. “When you blitz, especially in this league, if you talk about the Chiefs with all the receivers they have and the weapons they have, it’s really hard to cover that much space man on man. It’s really hard down after down.”
Even beyond the Chiefs speed at wide receiver, Kennedy pointed out the other obvious factor that makes them so difficult to defend: Patrick Mahomes.
“And you [try to defend] an accurate and pinpoint quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, the job’s almost impossible,” Kennedy continued. “So you got to find a way to generate pressure rushing four or some sort of variation of that in order to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks so you don’t let me sit back there and pick you apart.”
As long as Mahomes is in the AFC West (which will probably be at least another decade), the Raiders have no choice but to do everything possible to have one of the top pass-rushing defensive lines in the NFL.
Do the Raiders need another pass rusher to have a successful season?
No, probably not.
But will they need another pass rusher to get past the Chiefs?
That might very well be the case.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Ngakoue would be a nice addition. Clowney didn’t have the best impact last season applying pressure on opposing QBs.
have you ever heard of ground control offince keep mahomes off field if they start to move defence up hit them with long pass one thing carr didnt do last year got the speed an men this year
Thanks Mr Kennedy,sounds like your spot on,if they can’t score, they can’t win
Tru dat
Of course, I agree with Lincoln Kennedy and have been saying as much, for some time now. The “enemy, ” NOW IS Patrick Mahomes. He is unquestionably an elite quarterback. Therefore, having a 25 year old proven All Star defensive end, along with the other young Raiders defensive linemen, chasing around and pressuring an athletic, pinpoint accurate passer IS THE ONLY WAY to ASSIST the defense and hopefully negate some of Patrick Mahomes effectiveness. As the old cliche’ goes, pressure can burst a pipe and certainly without it, especially against Patrick Mahomes, any team will be at a disadvantage. Further, as I have said previously, as well, sadly, the Raiders have “seemed” particularly inept at covering opposing teams’ tightends and we all know what Travis Kelce can do and how effective he can be. So, it behooves and forces the Raiders to become an exemplary team on defense if they are going to go anywhere and by that I specifically mean beating the Kansas City Chiefs. Lastly, IF all of the football reporting is true and that the offensive line IS the Kansas City Chiefs’ “weakest link” then it becomes absolutely imperative that the Las Vegas Raiders do EVERYTHING in their power to expose, exploit and ATTACK this weakness. Great job Lincoln of hopefully getting those who clueless a lot more informed.
Every one wants to blame DEREK CARR NO QUARTERBACK IDONT care who he is. If you keep changeing HEAD COACHES how do you expect him to deal with the changes he has gone threw.You should win games when you score 24 points.But when your DEFENSE gives up 30 plus a game you cant always put the blame on him.You give away his best reciever and give him no one to throw to come on.There are so many good free agent recievers.But no GRUDEN is blind. Every reciever he has picked up since he has been coach is gone he has wasted CARRS years but you people who know nothing about football better stop blameing CARR and look at the coaches that keep comeing and going. Every coach has a different idea what can work PLAYERS ONLY LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE TOLD. LOOK AT KC THE PATRIOTS SAINTS TEAMS WITH GOOD COACHES.STOP BLAMEING CARR GET SOME GOOD OFFENCEIVE PLAYERS AROUND CARR AND FOR GRUDEN AND THE OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TO GET A GOOD GAME PLAN TOGETHER AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.CARR THREW 4000 PLUS YARDS TWO YEARS IN A ROW. BUT OUR DEFENSE GAVE UP MORE POINTS THAN THEY SHOULD HAVE.TO MANY LONG TD OUR DEFENSE HAS TO JEL THE CAN BE GOOD THIS YEAR. THATS IF WE PLAY??? IM FROM OAKLAND.MY FIRST JOB IN 1972 WAS A GROUNDSKEEPER AT THE COLISEUM.I CAME TO VEGAS IN 92. THE RAIDERS WILL ALWAYS BE THE OAKLAND RAIDERS.THE SNAKE OUR FIRST SUPER BOWL QB. PLUNKET OUR 2 AND 3erd Winning QB and were not finish. We went in the 60s 70s 80s missed the 90s went in2002 missed the 2000teens.NO OTHER TEAM CAN SAY THEY WENT TO A SUPER BOWL ALMOST EVERY DECADE. WEMISSED TWO DECADES SINCE THE SUPER BOWL ERA HAS STARTED NOT BAD RAIDERS???
Just get both nkagoue and Clowney, and superbowl here we come, make history in a new stadium
Spot on sir
No to both players. Raiders are still a year or 2 away from being able to have a deep playoff run. Let the rookies and 2nd year guys grow into their roles and reassess major roster moves after this season ends.
The Raiders have 4 capable DE’s who can get to the QB. What the Raiders need is an unmovable 1 technique DT with a mean streak that constantly handles double teams and for DT Malik Collins to do his thing. I think Collins is gonna have a great year. I expect a minimum of 5 sacks from him this year.
Frankly Kennedy needs to keep his opinions to himself now. That whole Carr rap was ludicrous and it just makes Kennedy seem like a whining complainer and less reputable and sensible in his opinions.