Silver And Black Pride
The Las Vegas Raiders are gearing up for a Week 4 matchup against the Chicago Bears, and all eyes are on the Raiders’ offensive line. In fact, this Sunday’s gameday discussion on The FEED will focus on the interior o-line, so head over there during the game if you want to talk about the trenches. But first, we have this week’s mailbag to get to.
Q: It strikes me that we are not going to win many more games (any?) until our offensive line issues are resolved. Thinking that these may involve personnel, scheme or coaching, what are your thoughts as to the significance of each of these? More importantly, at this juncture, what are the realistic options (if any) for addressing them?
A: In my opinion, the Raiders’ offensive line issues are a combination of the three elements you mentioned above, and I’ll add that the constant turnover with the coaching staff is a big part of the problem. Take Dylan Parham as an example. Parham is in his fourth season and has played for three head coaches, five offensive coordinators, if you include interim OCs, and several offensive line coaches.
Having to learn so many systems and having so many different voices in your ear telling you different techniques makes it extremely difficult for a young player to develop. However, I mentioned last week that I think Parham is just an average player, and I do believe that good players will adjust and thrive.
So, while the coaching isn’t helping, there is a personnel element at play as well. Outside of Kolton Miller, we knew going into the season that Las Vegas’ offensive line was more potential than a proven commodity, with the other four linemen being young players.
As far as bringing in outside help, the Raiders’ chances of finding a difference maker at this stage are slim to none. I think it’s more likely that the coaching staff gives guys like Charles Grant, Caleb Rogers and Will Putnam a chance to prove themselves than signing a free agent or making a midseason trade.
A: Personally, I’d like to see the interior go back to last year’s lineup (Meredith LG, JPJ C, Parham RG), but Pete Carroll made it pretty clear that won’t happen.
With that, if things don’t improve, I’d like to see Rogers and Putnam get a shot just to gauge what they can bring to the table. Also, I wouldn’t mind Grant getting reps over DJ Glaze at this point, though I do recognize that Grant is a significant project and would rather the coaching staff be patient than risk ruining his development and confidence.
As far as hope goes, the one silver lining that’s even been hard for me to recognize is that Parham, Meredith and Powers-Johnson have only played one regular-season game together at their new spots. So, from the optimist’s perspective, be patient and give those three more time to get comfortable.
**Q: If John Spytek was Tom Brady’s choice, are...
