Todd Downing Could Be Next AFC West Coordinator to Fall
By Erik Lambert
The AFC West was supposed to be the “it” division in 2017. Instead its begun to hemmorage coaches like Mike McCoy, and Todd Downing may be next.
McCoy got into boiling hot water the past few weeks with Denver Broncos management. Two problems surfaced regarding his play calling. One part was the belief he made game plans overly complicated and complex. A strange decision considering it was his first year back running an offense. Then there was the stubborn unwillingness to run the football more. Especially since C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles were having considerable success doing so.
Now he’s out and Bill Musgrave is in. One team that is regretting the decision to let Musgrave escape is the Oakland Raiders. In two seasons he took their offense from 24th in the NFL to 6th. Derek Carr looked like an MVP and and Amari Cooper was a star. However, the injury to Carr completely stymied the offense going into the playoffs. In that weak moment the Raiders chose to fire Musgrave and promoted quarterbacks coach Todd Downing.
Time has shown that was not the best idea.
Downing struggling to get consistency from offense
It has not gone well for the Raiders so far this season. They look nothing like the team that appeared unstoppable in 2016. In six games this year they’ve failed to scored more than 17 points. Their low point came in Mexico City as they managed just eight against the New England Patriots. Considering this offense might be even more talented than they were last season, there is no doubting that this year has been a colossal disappointment.
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To be fair Downing is in his first year as a coordinator. This stuff is new to him and it can often take time to acclimate and learn it. Firing him before the first year is over accomplishes little for the Raiders. It might be best to let things play out and see if he can find improvement over the final few games. If that doesn’t happen, then replacing him is a far more viable option come January.