Scott Gulbransen
Since Sunday’s stumbling loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the news and chatter surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders has been trending down. With whispers of frustration in the locker room spreading, the team’s matchup with AFC West rivals the Los Angeles Chargers looms large.
With one insider saying the locker room isn’t lost yet but trending in that direction, the idea of “trust the process” could be wearing on a team that is 1-5 over its last six games under coach Josh McDaniels. It’s a roster that has seen significant turnover with the idea that McDaniels needed more of his “type” of player.
Gone is nine-year starting quarterback Derek Carr and talented tight end Darren Waller. Add in a slew of veteran free agents and this year’s draft class, and McDaniels has the team he wants. Yet, despite the rearranging of the roster, not much has changed since 2022 for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Las Vegas Raiders have new players but the same results
Despite getting the guys he wanted, the results on the field thus far have been a colossal disappointment. Despite bringing in veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the Las Vegas Raiders offense, the fifth-highest paid in the NFL regarding the salary cap, ranks 29th after three weeks. Josh Jacobs, the league’s leading rusher with over 1,600 yards last season, has just 108 yards so far and the team can’t effectively run the ball.
With all the new players, and the coach seemingly getting who he wanted to run his offense, how does McDaniels think they’re doing?
“We’re still in September and we want to just keep plugging along here,” McDaniels told the media Wednesday. “I think we have a long way to go and a lot of a lot of things to go through and a lot of improvements to make. But I’ve been really impressed with a lot of the veteran players we’ve added and then the attitude and the
approach by the young players to try to acclimate to that style and that work pace and everything else.”
Jimmy Garoppolo has been an early flop
The signing of Garoppolo, in light of the release of Derek Carr, made sense. A quarterback familiar with McDaniels and with a winning pedigree with the San Francisco 49ers seemed like a good fit for a multi-year bridge quarterback.
The plan hasn’t worked out so far.
Garoppolo, who has a long injury history, suffered a possible concussion in the Pittsburgh loss and is questionable for Sunday’s matchup with the Chargers, although he did practice on Thursday. You can’t criticize a guy for getting a concussion but it’s Garoppolo’s play this season that is disappointing.
After three weeks, Garoppolo leads the league in interceptions (6) and has five touchdowns in three games.
It’s the turnovers that are concerning as one of Garoppolo’s assumed strengths was his ability to protect the ball. When asked about the issue, Raiders offensive coordinator Nick Lombardi didn’t seem overly concerned.
“I think you see a lot of good that Jimmy did,” Lombardi said this week. “He completed a lot of passes in the dropback game and I think at the end of the day when the first read is not there, the second read is not there, just being smart with the football, taking care of it, and moving on and understanding that an incomplete pass isn’t a bad thing.”
Now, there’s nothing wrong with what Lombardi said — he’s 100% right. But with a nine-year veteran being smart with the football should be a given. And, yes, veterans through interceptions too, but the rate at which he has been turning the ball over has been alarming. The Raiders can’t afford to turn the ball over with a defense that doesn’t return the favor as it has yet to create a turnover on that side of the ball.
If Garoppolo is able to go, how long is McDaniels willing to let him struggle before they either go a different direction or admit the problem?
Is Davante Adams growing discontent?
Much was made of Davante Adams’ post-game comments after the loss to the Steelers. When asked about those comments Wednesday, Adams clarified it wasn’t comments addressed at his coaching staff or front office but instead at certain teammates.
“For the people that didn’t understand the message, it was not a shot or directed at anybody in the front office here,” Adams reiterated. “That was about us as a football team and the players that go out there and control things and have the most control of what happens and the outcome of games. I think it’s really cowardly and small thing to take shots at coaches when we do have a lot to do, the most to do, with what happens ultimately out there on the field.”
Adams is the consummate leader and he’s always blunt and there is meaning behind everything he says. Still, the fact he mentioned he doesn’t have time for people to continue to figure it out shows the frustration level with where the team is at isn’t to his liking. He knows he’s at the apex of his career and doesn’t want to waste time in an organization not moving closer to being a winner.
NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, appearing on the Rich Eisen Show, agreed.
“That’s how I took it, like ‘if we’re going to go down this rabbit hole, then get me out of here…I’m tired of doing the same things that aren’t working” Wyche said. “I don’t think he’s got anything against Josh, they’re just not functioning.”
Is McDaniels’ seat getting warm?
With all this talk about growing negative sentiment in Las Vegas, how true is it? There’s no way to know and coming off back-to-back losses, you’d expect the mood to be dour. Still, the Raiders are underperforming in every facet of the game and McDaniels is ultimately responsible for the results.
In an ESPN column this week, NFL insider Dan Gaziano didn’t mince words when he said the Raiders are in far worse shape than when McDaniels was hired prior to the 2022 season.
“The franchise is in perceptibly worse shape than it was when McDaniels got there. Jimmy Garoppolo is already hurt. Davante Adams is making noise about being unhappy,” Graziano said. “It just feels like every move that has been made since the Adams trade has made the roster worse, and if they finish with one of the league’s worst records (which I believe to be extremely possible), how long will Mark Davis be willing to live with his mistake?”
Of course, the only opinions that matter are those of McDaniels’ friend, and general manager, Dave Ziegler, and owner Mark Davis. There’s no outward appearance that either has lost confidence in their coach. Still, people close to the organization have told me things are “tense” and a bit “off” inside the building. That could be the losing or something bigger.
McDaniels has now been coach for 20 games and the results have been wholly inadequate. He’s now 18-30 as a head coach (.375) and 7-13 (.350) as the Raiders coach and if losses continue to mount, it’s hard to see an upside with him at the helm.
On the bright side
With all the negativity swirling around the Las Vegas Raiders, they have the talent on offense to change their direction and perhaps move closer to respectability. With Adams doing what he does and the league’s top running back from a year ago in Jacobs, the Raiders offense has the potential to start putting up points and perhaps changing their fortunes.
They need Garoppolo to wake up and play better and they must get the run game in gear for good things to happen.
In addition to the offensive woes, the Raiders are not successful on defense creating pressure on opposing quarterbacks and continue to struggle up front. Maxx Crosby is the biggest bright spot and Malcolm Koonce is coming along but it hasn’t been enough. For the Raiders to turn it around, they need to play more complementary football — and fast.
A chance to flip the script in LA
The game against the Chargers on Sunday is a big one for the franchise. To change the current narrative around disappointing results for McDaniels and his team, a win against their old rival — in a stadium Vivid Seats said this week will be 64% Raider Nation —would be huge. The Chargers are one of the worst teams in the league against the run and have yielded the most yards in the air in the NFL this season.
Of course, they have a high-powered offense with quarterback Justin Herbert at the helm but there is hope. It might be slim at this point, but the league is a week-by-week affair. The Raiders need a win and their games with the Chargers always seem to be close.
