After Sunday’s loss to the Bears, the Raiders will close out the month of September with a 1-3 record and it’s starting to feel like another season in Las Vegas might be already circling the drain.
A lot has gone wrong for the Raiders in the first four weeks of the season, but no one on the roster has been more disappointing than Geno Smith.
Smith currently leads the NFL in interceptions (7) and as Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers pointed out on Monday, Smith essentially handed the game to the Bears on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
“He’s got to be the starting quarterback, the franchise quarterback, the leader in the clubhouse and right now he’s not, he literally lost them the game yesterday,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast on Monday. “There’s no other way to put it. We could blame the offensive line for everything that we did last week. Well, let’s keep it a buck. He cost them the game yesterday. No ifs, ands or buts about it.”
Lincoln Kennedy added to Myers’ comments and said the league now has a blueprint to defending the Raiders with Smith at quarterback.
“We see a true blueprint of how defenses are going to play the Raiders probably for the rest of the year,” Kennedy said.
“They’re going to load the box up, they’re going to play Tampa 2, and they’re going to dare you to throw them long, because that’s what they did. They put eight men in the box. You’re going to run 12 personnel, we’re going to put eight men in the box, we’re going to isolate, we’re going to show you a one high safety look,” Kennedy continued.
“We’re going to show you one high safety look. You think you could take advantage of the pass, I’m daring you to pass. I’ve got bump and run coverage on the outside receivers. I’m daring you to take away the run, I’m daring you to pass. You can’t, you don’t have that in your repertoire to go up frequently against that one-on-one. And then after you snap the ball, think you got one-on-one coverage, they back out and play Tampa 2.”
Making the situation more difficult for Smith and the offense going forward is that it sounds like left tackle Kolton Miller is going to be out at least a few weeks with a high ankle sprain.
Miller’s injury combined with Bowers still being hobbled by a knee injury will only encourage opposing defenses to load the box even more.
The Raiders travel to the Indianapolis Colts in week 5 and host the Tennessee Titans in week 6.
The Colts (-7) are heavy favorites this week, but the Titans at Allegiant Stadium might be the most winnable game remaining on the schedule.
x: @raidersbeat
Since the New England Patriot (Tom Brady) in the grasp mistake call that cost that Raider team a playoff victory, things have been the same. Every year people talk about the
Raiders being poorly coached, players not being significantly dedicated to winning etc..,
So, they bring Pete Carroll a player’s coach. A man dedicated to the improvement of the
Raider organization. And what do we see? The same old lackadaisical Raiders. No real
accomplishments on offense or defense, and now special teams. I don’t know what Pete
Carroll can do.
Lose in bunches because Brady thought to himself, who can I bring in for a rebuild? I’ve got it how about a 75 yr old and maybe we can trade for his terrible QB! Eureka I have a plan.
Ageism. Ugly.
I don’t think that’s ageism. Carroll (and Smith’s) advanced ages for their positions make them a poor fit for a team that went 4-13 last season and was far from competing. Bringing those guys in was a win-now move for a can’t win-now roster
It’s basically the nightmare scenario. Coming of a 4-13 season, they bring in a 75 year old win now coach, a 35 year old QB, with any decline from either guy going to lead to disaster. There is no back up plan. The 6th round FCS QB they drafted couldn’t even make the team.
Unless there is some miraculous turnaround, they’re back in an even worse scenario than last offseason. No QB, question marks at Head Coach…. They’ll probably be picking in the back half of the Top10 again because they’ll be sure to win a few meaningless games, so they won’t be able to draft one of the top QBs. Worst of all, no plausible, coherent plan for sustainable success. Even going into this year, the number of things that needed to go right for them to even compete for a playoff spot should have sent them in a different direction. They have maybe the worst owner in the NFL, and the guy he brought in to fix everything, despite having no experience running a team, has basically bombed every big decision he’s been involved in, so far. There is no hope. No wonder most fans stay home and let the opposing fans enjoy the show. At least they’re having a good time.
Amen to all of that! It keeps me from having to put it all.
I couldn’t agree more…and like I tell everyone on here. IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!
The Fertita brothers would pay whatever amount for this team. Mark Walters just bought up the Lakers. He could be the owner of the Lakers/Raiders/Dodgers. Gee that would be horrible
Geno had 15 interceptions, last season. He’ll probably double that number this year!!?? But, he’s Pete’s handpicked QB!
Notice how he defended him yesterday then when JPJ came up, yeah he had a nice game he will get more opportunities to compete
In Brady they trust.
Pete Carroll isn’t a messiah, he’s human and makes mistakes. For all the good he brought in he’s making mistakes. Chip Kelly for instances. They gotta work with what they have and aren’t doing it…1st. Round running back for instance.. Kelly shouldn’t be forcing a stance on this kid, instead should be working with him. If Carroll is the players coach everyone claims he is he’d be working with Jackson Powers Johnson at center. So what if the kid was tooting his own horn about being the center for the raiders this year. If he didn’t care for how the kid was talking pull him aside and work with him. I think it’s clear Meredith is much better at left guard and Parham at right guard with Johnson at center…we’ll see
I don’t think that’s ageism. Carroll (and Smith’s) advanced ages for their positions make them a poor fit for a team that went 4-13 last season and was far from competing. Bringing those guys in was a win-now move for a can’t win-now roster