The Raiders tried to hit the reset button last week when they fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and two assistant offensive coaches.
It was a move that shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone that has been tracking Getsy’s offense this year. Without question, change was needed on offense and it’s going to be interesting to see what adjustments are made now that the former offensive coordinator isn’t in the building.
Because of the bye week, the Raiders have two weeks to overhaul the offense and according to Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter, the coaching staff used the first week to watch a tremendous amount of film on the season.
“I was told specifically that it’s been a film fest for the offensive coaches,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “It’s been a pairing of the playbook, adding [and] subtracting. [Pierce] knows what he wants to do, which is the old Al Davis system. Pound the ball and go down the field with a vertical attack… that has not changed.”
Based on those comments, the Raiders aren’t going to be abandoning the running game anytime soon, but will the coaching staff be able to find a way to make the running game more effective?
Can Zamir White return to the form we saw from him over the final four games of the 2023 season?
Another note from Carpenter on the podcast was focused on the upcoming offseason.
Based on what he is hearing, Carpenter believes the Raiders are especially focused on three position groups going into the offseason.
“I’ll tell you something interesting and this may surprise you a little bit,” Carpenter said. “I’m hearing a lot of attention on a couple of linebackers… I think it’s very interesting, and you can tell a lot about a team and where they’re going by where they put resources. So scouting, I’m hearing a lot of quarterbacks. I’m hearing specifically on a couple of linebackers, offensive linemen, a lot of different areas, but if I was to say the [position] I’m hearing about [the most] at this point is quarterback, linebacker, and offensive linemen.”
It’s noteworthy that the team is paying close attention to linebackers in a year that Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo are both slated to enter free agency after the season.
Could one or both of them be on a different team next year?
x: @raidersbeat
I know this is Hondo’s interpretation, and not AP’s words, but any references to Al Davis or playing the “Raider Way” should be automatically suspect at this point. It’s 2024. For 20 years (longer, really), the Raider Way has meant terrible football. Where are the successful teams running an “Al Davis” type offense in 2024? And does this Raiders offensive roster seem like it has the capability to succeed with that approach, given the current QB, OL and WR positions?
Why the emphasis on linebackers, a position which has become devalued over the past 2 decades? Are there any successful modern NFL defenses built around off-ball linebackers, and how many guys at those positions are true difference makers for a defense in the way that an elite DL or Secondary player can be?
If this is AP’s vision, I just don’t think I can feel too optimistic.