The Raiders have experienced a major letdown from their offense in the first two months of the season, and all eyes will be on offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to turn things around in the second half of the season.
It seems from the outside that Kelly and head coach Pete Carroll haven’t been on the same page with play calling in recent weeks, and the bye week should be an opportunity for the coaching staff to figure out what they are trying to do on offense.
Kelly’s scheme has taken criticism in his first season with the Raiders and Lincoln Kennedy said this week that he would like to see Kelly do some things differently.
“Chip Kelly has to let his pride aside and say, ‘You know what? What I envisioned initially hasn’t worked and has to do something different,’” Kennedy said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast.
“I’m not talking about a dramatic change to the offensive philosophy, but you change the initial looks to give the defense something else to think about and to work with. Things like making an I-back formation, you know, with a tight end, taking in Thomas Booker, have him stand at full back, or one of your biggest guys, or even bring Alex Cappa in, since you’re trying so hard to get him in the game. But the fact of the matter is they’re going to have to make adjustments and make changes because right now, this team has no identity.”
If the season ended today, the only thing that might save Kelly’s job is the $6 million per year contract he signed in the offseason, and potentially his relationship with Tom Brady.
It was reported in September that Kelly talks with Brady each week and the two gameplan together. Maybe that’s a coaching scenario that Brady likes, but he also might have a front row seat to how incompetent Kelly has been over the first seven games of the season.
Brady has worked hard to downplay his role in the organization, and a September “tweet” reporting Brady and Kelly have been working closely together was even deleted.
Last week, Kennedy questioned Kelly’s playcalling, and it was obvious he wants to see the veteran coach get back to running the ball.
“What I’m most perplexed about is how it seems, at times this season, where the Raiders offense could come out and click like a well-oiled machine, not have a hiccup between the 20s… then other times… even if they go back to that same play that worked before, it doesn’t work. I’m still trying to figure that out,” Kennedy said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show.
“I’m trying to understand that dynamic. I understand teams make adjustments. I get that. But at the same point, there should be an ebb of flow to the offense once you get things going,” Kennedy continued. “There shouldn’t be a reason why you have a 19 or 20-play drive that ends with a field goal. Hell no. But there also shouldn’t be a reason why you get first down and go on the three-yard line and you’re trying to do a tackle eligible. Hell no… The fact that you bring two extra offensive linemen and that’s the play you go to?”
“To open up [on] first down after a big turnover, the crowd is into it. What better way that you could think about rallying up your offensive line than on the heels of that turnover. The crowd is still into where we’re at home. Run that **** ball. Run it. Run it. Run it right here and get in that end zone. You don’t see that. Oh, well, we’re going to do a tackle eligible to a backup guard who hasn’t played that much.”
When the dust settles on the 2025 season, it’s going to be interesting to see what comes out about Kelly and what went wrong with so many parts of the Raiders’ offense.
Why did Geno Smith digress to the level of a low-level starting quarterback?
What happened with Jackson Powers-Johnson and why the does the coaching staff seem to have such an infatuation with Alex Cappa?
Why doesn’t Ashton Jeanty, who the Raiders drafted this year with the sixth-overall pick, get the ball more?
These are all questions that Raider fans and even those covering the team everyday can’t seem to find answers to.
This is something that has always bothered me. More so with young drafted players that have success in college playing in a certain scheme. Quarterbacks. Instead of building the offense around the strength of your new quarterback, coordinators would rather rewire them. This never made any sense to me. It’s a 50-50 proposition at best and you’re wasting at least the first two years.
In Geno’s case you better scheme to his strengths. We’re getting a good look at what you do if you don’t. Those are wonderllick scores from long ago come shining through.
I’m wondering why draft player’s that don’t fit into yur scheme, why single F/A’s that don’t fit into it either, why come in & change what’s been working in the previous regime, why not build on that instead of completely tearing it down, what happened to this “supposed ” offensive genius we where getting in the OC & why is Pete forcing his defense on PG when it’s not working there seems to be no compromise here only the proverbial “MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY” dictatorship in LV more than anything else
Graham sucks. HE keeps the same players on the field when they’re getting roasted play after play. HE is the one that refuses to blitz and drop defensive tackles into coverage. HE is the one that can’t make adjustments during the games with the oppositions offensive coordinators.
Look, the bottom line is Graham, Kelly and Pete aren’t getting it done. And really the only good thing our GM has done is given us an out without getting buried with dead cat money on some of the signings.
It is too early to tell how any of these draft picks will evolve, but this is a **** show