After an embarrassing 40-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, it’s starting to feel like the Raiders are spiraling in the wrong direction under head coach Pete Carroll.
When he was hired in January, Carroll brought with him a culture of competition, but many are starting to wonder why Geno Smith isn’t being held to the same competitive standard as everyone else.
Going into the season, Jackson Powers-Johnson was considered by most to be the second-best offensive lineman on the team, and for reasons no one seems to know, the coaching staff has singled out Powers-Johnson to the extent that he has been playing for his job every week.
In theory, everyone is playing for their jobs, but the coaching staff has shown less patience with Powers-Johnson than anyone on the roster.
Members of the media and former players have been questioning Carroll’s coaching tactics with Powers-Johnson, and on Sundary evening, Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said what everyone on the outside is thinking about Geno Smith after the veteran quarterback turned in another embarrassing performance.
“I don’t want to hear more about [Jackson Powers-Johnson], or he’s got a big head, or an ego, or whatever. Can we stop the insanity?” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“Locker rooms don’t lie. Don’t screw with JPJ and pretend like it’s a competition, and then crickets when it comes to [Geno Smith]? He’s got nine interceptions in five games. He leads the NFL… I like Geno. [He’s a] good guy. [He has] not been a good quarterback.”
As bad as Smith played on Sunday, he actually left an interception on the field in the second half as a badly underthrown ball was dropped for what should have been his third interception of the game.
When he wasn’t throwing passes to Colts’ defenders, Smith was holding the ball too long and taking sacks, and from the outside it feels like Carroll is playing favorites with his hand-picked quarterback.
Maybe Carroll doesn’t have confidence in Pickett since he’s only been with the Raiders for six weeks, but where has all the confidence in Alex Cappa come from? It couldn’t have come from last year’s game film with the Bengals.
It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff handles Powers-Johnson going forward (and Geno Smith, too, for that matter) and a comment from Carpenter last week might be something to file away for later.
Talking about Powers-Johnson on his podcast, Carpenter seemed to hint that the Raiders’ approach with JPJ has been initiated by someone above the head coach.
“As long as you don’t see the penalties and all of that, he better not come out of the starting lineup,” Carpenter said about Powers-Johnson last week.
“He’s a young player on a team that’s not a playoff team. Let the guy just freaking play. Alex Cappa isn’t going to be here in six years. If you develop JPJ, he will be. So let it go. And remember, Pete has bosses and everything else… so you can’t just always blame Pete or blame Brennan [Carroll].”
Carpenter didn’t say who he might be talking about, but there are some reasons to think Tom Brady could be the person behind what’s been going on with Powers-Johnson. It’s all speculation, but there aren’t many players over the course of Carroll’s coaching career that have been singled out the way Powers-Johnson has without any kind of obvious reason.
For Brady’s part, it’s anyone’s guess why he might not like Powers-Johnson (if it’s even true at all), but it’s fair to wonder what the second-year lineman has done that anyone in the building would have such an obvious issue with him.
x: @raidersbeat
The Raiders are WOKE!!! That doesn’t play well on the Field. They Don’t like Tough Guys like JPJ.
It’s not Brady’s fault. It’s the coach offensive and defensive coordinator don’t forget special teams coach. Most of all It’s mark davis he doesn’t know how to run a team. Sell the team to a winner. Before the season started espn said the raiders would b lucky to win five games, he’ll they’d b lucky to win another game this season. I’ve been a raiders fan my whole life, and I’m 66yrs old. I’ve never seen them play this bad, it’s f’n pathetic…..
It is Brady’s fault. He has zero personal experience, he said no to Darnold & yes to Geno. Telesco wanted to get D Jones last year yet Mark lets Brady fire him so he can have a puppet in here.
Brady should’ve never been given this much power & Mark bragged about how he wanted Brady to have more of a say in things & that Brady would provide more to the “football Infrastructure” whatever that is. Even the staff in this organization is bloated. Mark doesn’t know what to do with this new money rolling in so he just burns through it like Monty Brewster.
Kind of hard for me to blame Chip when he designs a play where the TE is wide open @ the goal line & Geno is looking his way yet hangs onto the ball to take a sack
Stop all the F##king nonsense. Either the guy can play or he can’t. Put the best guys out there and just win baby. You can’t do sh#t!. TB has no clue what he’s doing as an owner, so stop that BS. The players need to fix themselves. Play for yourselves and earn that money.
Pete one and done … coming soon Chucky 3 and a trade for Kyler Murray . DC returns as back up and spiritual leader.
Nah gruden is deep into his lawsuit against the NFL. He’s likely blacklisted from working in NFL again
These are the RaaaDuhs , don’t put anything past them. The Chuckster wants back into coaching in the worst way and Marc loves the guy. Imagine the bad calls against them if Chucky Returns. Be worth it just to see his expressions on the sidelines.
What puzzles me is your supposed to play better each game and we’re doing the opposite 😜
For those of you who are old enough to remember the Raiders, of yester years, you know that what we are, and have been, seeing for the past 23 years are not the Raiders but the Masqueraders. Maybe Oakland would take them back. But for those of us life long fans have to come to grips with is that in spite of their consistent losing, this team is profitable. Tv revenue sharing and this large tv market means that win or not, Mark Davis still makes a profit. In the world of finances you don’t have to be a winner or even competitive to make a profit. Look at who hosted last year’s Super Bowl. The league, the city of Las Vegas and yes the Raiders made a profit from that game. It’s all about the Benjamins folks and Mark Davis is rolling in them irrespective of what us Raider fans think, like or believe. Have a beer on Mark,
To: Raidernation: I am a 53 year Raider fan. I have memories of their bare knuckled, smashmouth, brand of football
played every week by the Raiders as the main reason I became a Raider fan. I must admit this week when I was told
by a (Twenty-five year old) athletic trainer that, ” When he and his generation of fans look at their favorite teams
schedule, and see the Raiders as their opponent, they circle that week as a Win before the game is played.” I was
humbled and embarrassed to be a Raider fan. How about you?