Oakland Raiders: The Good News and The Bad News
By Erik Lambert
September 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen reacts against the Houston Texans during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Down early in a 0-2, the Oakland Raiders aren’t looking so hot (again). Here are some positives and negatives about their 2014 prospects.
The Good News
Derek Carr will eventually be a proven NFL quarterback
He’s a rookie and will make his share of mistakes but Raider fans can rest assured if the team doesn’t foul it up that Derek Carr will finally end the revolving door at quarterback for the Silver and Black. His personality, arm talent, and mobility were all on display despite a tough outing against Houston. Once things slow down for him and he gets adequate weaponry, he’s going to be really good in the NFL>
Dennis Allen will be fired before the season ends
They’ve defended him for a long time, but it’s becoming clear that Dennis Allen was a poor hire as head coach in Oakland. Admittedly the warning signs were there. He was only defensive coordinator for one season. Prior to that he was an assistant. The man didn’t bring enough experience to running a football team and it has showed with an 8-26 record with the Raiders. Make no mistake. One or two more losses before a win and he will be fired.
The Bad News
The schedule doesn’t get any easier moving forward
Keep in mind their first two losses were to the New York Jets and Houston Texans. Both of those teams missed the playoffs last year. Suffice to say the schedule couldn’t have thrown an easier soft ball to start a season and the Raiders have clearly struck out. Looking ahead, five of their next seven games are against teams that posted a winning record in 2013 and four of those teams went to the playoffs including the New England Patriots and world champion Seattle Seahawks.
Reggie McKenzie has no nose for free agency
The 2014 off-season had the look of a big one for the Oakland Raiders. Not only were they well positioned in the draft but they had loads of salary cap space to spend on top free agents. Yet, as things unfolded experts began to question whether GM Reggie McKenzie was trying hard enough to lure top names in. Among his biggest signings were guys like Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley, and James Jones.
Tuck and Woodley still don’t have a single sack between them through two games, which goes a long way towards explaining the struggles on defense. As for Jones, he was expected to help the receiving corps become more explosive. After being a non-factor most of week 1, he fumbled twice against Houston (on the same play) and got most of his numbers when the game was far out of reach.
McKenzie was hired to fix the problems Oakland has had in the NFL draft and it seems he’s doing that but it may prove to come at the cost of poor judgment in free agency.