Report: Raiders Offense to Become Collaboration of Greg Olson, Tom Cable, and Derek Carr

With Jon Gruden no longer associated with the Raiders, there will be a number of changes coming for the organization – both on and off the field.

In terms of how the players prepare each week, an NFL Network report on Sunday indicated that a few of the “player-friendly changes” already include “moving back the team’s daily schedule to start a little later, reducing the number of plays per period in practice and spending less time on artificial turf.”

But the most noticeable differences in Gruden’s absence, at least in the short term, may be coming to the offense. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero have indicated that the Raiders’ offense will now be a collaboration of three key members:

“The offensive game plan also will be pared down, and play-calling — one of Gruden’s many responsibilities — will be worth monitoring. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson will assume primary play-calling duties, but it’ll be a collaboration with others, including offensive line coach Tom Cable. Quarterback Derek Carr will also be heavily involved.

Carr already had the ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage based on formation and personnel. But he has veto power and his suggestions are going to be heard. Olson’s philosophy on moving the ball is also a little different than Gruden’s, so subtle differences may be noticeable.”

The name to keep an eye on among that group is Cable (for reasons that won’t all be explained here).

From the time he joined Gruden’s staff, Cable has always carried a strong voice among the coaches. Now Cable will be paired with Olson, who will rely heavily on the input of Carr, and it will make for an interesting coaching dynamic. Olson will be calling plays, but expect Carr to have more input into the offense than ever – which is saying a lot.

So while the Raiders work to find an identity under interim HC Rich Bisaccia, the new think tank on offense figures to be recognizable right away. Whether or not that will be a good thing remains to be seen.

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