At this time a year ago, one of the narratives around the Raiders defense was that the scheme may have been too complicated for some of the players. Consistent execution wasn’t happening, and the fan base spent each week trying to figure out who deserved more of the blame – the coaches or the players.
Those conversations aren’t happening anymore, and the Raiders have morphed in a matter of 12 months into one of the better defenses in the league.
Despite having the second-lowest payroll in the NFL on defense, Patrick Graham’s defense has responded this year in a way that no one was predicting in the offseason.
Several players on defense have stood out this year, but Yahoo and Fox Sports radio host Jason Fitz says one player has set the tone for the Raiders’ secondary.
Appearing this week on Raider Nation Radio’s The Morning Tailgate, Fitz had incredibly high praise for third-year cornerback Nate Hobbs…
“If there was an award to give for you the guy that you know is going to put his body in the way and take you down, it’s Nate Hobbs. I have a man crush on Nate Hobbs in the way he is playing to the football. I don’t care about the coverage portion of this for a second. I care about when the play is in front of Nate Hobbs, it doesn’t matter if there’s three guys in front of him on a wide receiver screen, my guy finds a way to break through that. He is absolutely a cannon ball swarming to the football, and it feels like he is the effort and energy, the Maxx Crosby of the secondary.”
Hobbs forced fumble against the Dolphins on Sunday, and he also had a huge fourth-down stop on Tyreek Hill…
On the season, Hobbs is the Raiders highest-graded defensive back (Pro Football Focus) with at least 150 snaps.
Maybe even more impressive, Pro Football Focus gives Hobbs the highest tackling grade on the entire defense among players with at least 150 snaps.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I tell you, this is absolutely amazing to see! It’s been so long since the Raiders have had even an above mediocre defense. Them being top 12 in points allowed per game, is incredible!
That play alone just shows that it took Madd Maxx 1 second to get to the guy catching the ball…. Hobbs is NOT Maxx Crosby