Silver And Black Pride
It certainly doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving week for the Las Vegas Raiders, as the team has little to be thankful for after a double-digit loss to the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. Meanwhile, the Raiders continue to slide down the NFL Power Rankings as the five outlets below have them ranked in the 30s heading into Week 13.
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 30
During the Raiders game, I wondered aloud to no one in particular if this was the worst offensive performance, from coach to quarterback to offensive line, that I’d ever seen. Hours later, the Raiders were in the market for a new offensive coordinator. — Conor Orr
The Chip Kelly era is officially over, while the Greg Olson 3.0 era begins. It’s hard to imagine that we’ll see many significant changes at this point in the season, but this could lead to more targets for Brock Bowers over the final six games. A to Z Sports’ AJ Schulte pointed out that Olson has a history of getting the ball to tight ends during his three stints as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator. Granted, Jon Gruden was the play caller for a lot of the seasons in Schulte’s post below.
31. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 30
One big question: Who is calling the shots?
Pete Carroll got his quarterback, but is he also the one who chose Chip Kelly, the league’s highest-paid offensive coordinator, who was fired Sunday after 11 games? Is Tom Brady in charge? John Spytek? There’s just a lot that isn’t known about the Raiders’ new structure and who will be calling the shots this offseason. — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
It’s a fair question, and here’s my read on it:
Mark Davis has mentioned on several occasions that one of his biggest mistakes when he first took over as owner was pairing a first-year head coach (Dennis Allen) with a first-year general manager (Reggie McKenzie). So, when Brady wanted to move on from Tom Telesco and hire his college buddy, Sptyek, Davis’ input was that they needed an experienced head coach. Brady respects winners, which Carroll certainly has been in the past, and no one is more “experienced” than the 74-year-old. From there, Carroll put together the coaching staff (who else would have hired his sons?) and is responsible for the hiring and firing of Kelly. Spytek certainly shoulders blame for the roster construction, but Carroll also plays a role in that and is refusing to play the majority of the guys the general manager drafted.
Now, who is calling the shots moving forward? That’s a good question…
31. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 31
Thanksgiving game memory: OT win over Dallas in 2021
There haven’t been many memorable moments for the Raiders since they moved to Las Vegas from Oakland in 2020. However, in 2021,...
