- Aug 14, 2017
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This team got the bad karma from bowlcut
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This team got the bad karma from bowlcut



Raiders Film Room: Looking at the offensive issues and identifying potential solutions
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Ted Nguyen![]()
3 hours ago
There has been a lot of criticism of the Raiders expensive offensive line for their performance the last couple of weeks. The linemen were just physically manhandled by Washington on Sunday Night Football and the Raiders only rushed for 24 yards against the Broncos last Sunday.
Denver has the No. 1 rushing defense in the NFL through the season's first month — a huge jump for a group that was 28th against the run last year — but the Raiders are supposed to be one of the most physical running teams in the NFL. So what happened?
Coach Jack Del Rio said, “Maybe (the Broncos) beat us on the scheme. Maybe they had a better call against that scheme. All different factors add up. I know we have big, powerful guys up front. We’ve got backs that are all very capable.”
After reviewing the film, the offensive line actually got a decent push throughout the game but were constantly outnumbered in the box. You might get away with being outnumbered against average to below average defenses, but not against a stacked defense like the Broncos. On top of that, the defense was able to run blitz and fly downhill because of the disappearance of the Raiders' play-action game.
First play of the game
The seemingly simple solution for the Raiders to get the running game going is to line up under center and try to run the ball downhill. Offensive coordinator Todd Downing wanted to establish a physical tone on the first snap of the game by doing just that. Unfortunately, the defense was well aware and loaded the box.
The offense has seven blockers (five offensive lineman, two tight ends) against the Broncos eight defenders. The run concept is “DUO” and the most important block is the double-team between center Rodney Hudson and guard Kelechi Osemele on nose tackle Domata Peko (No. 94) to middle linebacker Brandon Marshall (No. 54). Peko has been a force so far in the season, but Hudson and Osemele knock him back, which allows Osemele to leave and get to Marshall.
They execute the double-team perfectly and tight end Lee Smith gets a pancake on a blitzing Todd Davis (No. 51). Though Smith executes the block, Davis' aggressive play causes Lynch to have to move laterally, which buys enough time for strong safety Darian Stewart (No. 26), who is unaccounted for, to wrap Lynch's legs to stuff the run.
On first downs, if defenses are keying on the Raiders' personnel in the huddle and whether or not they are under center to load the box and aggressively play the run, Downing has to take advantage of this and call a play-action pass to soften up the defense. You often hear that you have to run to set up the pass, but against aggressive defenses you have to do the opposite.
The next time the Raiders got under center was again on first down. The Broncos might have had a formation blitz (auto-blitz based on formation) called for any under-center formations because Davis blitzed again.
The Raiders are again outnumbered in the box — six blockers (five lineman, one fullback) to seven defenders in the box. The offensive line doesn't dominate the front but did enough to at least get an efficient run, but Davis once again disrupts the play with his aggression and it goes nowhere.
Fourth-and-1
In another obvious running situation, the Broncos loaded the box again. The Raiders came out in 13 personnel (one back, three tight ends), but the Broncos responded with nine in the box. However, the extra defender wasn't the reason the play didn't work.
The offensive line actually gets a great push, but tight end Clive Walford allowed too much penetration. Walford has a tough block to make on a defensive end that is inside of him, but he gets pushed back and that doesn't allow Lynch to cut towards the space that the line creates inside. One has to wonder why Smith and Walford aren't switched on this play since Smith is a much better blocker than Walford is.
Although it might have been gutsy, fourth-and-1 would have been a perfect time for play action. The defense declared blitz pre-snap, and with how close the linebackers were to the line of scrimmage, a couple of those tight ends would have been wide open if they went out for a play-action pass.
Counter
The Raiders coaches upstairs likely saw the defensive players lined up over the tight ends were aggressively knifing inside because they actually ran a really well-designed counter out of the formation play on the following drive.
The offense gets exactly what it wants because the defenders to the tight end side knife inside, which give the tight ends easy down blocks. Hudson is usually a great puller but here he pulls too wide. He should have led up into the hole sooner. Instead, Lynch has to wait for him and actually shoves him out of the way. Lynch still manages to get four yards, but if Hudson made that block earlier, this play might have went for a touchdown.
Play action
Last week, the Buffalo Bills gashed the Denver defense with play action and boot plays while only averaging 2.3 yards per carry. The Raiders only attempted one play-action pass against the Broncos.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, Downing called the first play action of the game. He did it on first down against a loaded box — a perfect call. However, the execution was off. Carr was looking to go for the big play rather than taking what the defense gave him.
The Raiders run a boot to the right and the defense completely bites on the play-action fake. Cooper is running a double move to the right of the formation with cornerback Aqib Talib guarding him man-to-man. Talib has been known to get aggressive on early downs and jump short routes so this wasn't a bad call.
However, Carr waited too long for Cooper to uncover. When Talib sat back while Cooper was making a stutter, Carr should have gone to his checkdown right away. He had Cook wide open in the flat, who had room to run if he was thrown the ball. Instead, Carr stayed on the read for way too long and got sacked and of course, that's the play on which he suffered a fracture in his back.
“Kill” call
Aside from the injury, when Carr sees the film, he'll see how wide open his receivers were on the play. Over the next few weeks, Downing can make it a much bigger part of the offense for EJ Manuel and continue to expand it when Carr comes back.
It could be beneficial for the Raiders to install a “kill” call system for their under center package. Downing would call two plays — the primary could be a run and the secondary could be a play-action pass. If the quarterback sees a loaded box, he could “kill” the primary run by yelling “kill” or any verbal signal to execute the play-action pass instead.
Positives
If you ask Downing about his performance in the past couple of weeks, I'm sure even he would tell you there were a lot things he should have done differently. There are too many parts of the playbook and Raiders personnel that haven't been utilized. However, it is important to remember that Downing put together two brilliant game plans to start the season. He was a hot offensive coordinator candidate for a reason and flashed some clever play design with the long touchdown to Johnny Holton.
The Raiders are in a 2 x 2 formation with Cook and Holton to the right. The Broncos are in a quarters defense. In quarters, the cornerback will jump any outside breaking route at or under 10 yards by the inside receiver, and that is exactly what happens as Cook runs a 10-yard out. This leaves the safety to match up with Holton, who has a significant speed advantage. Holton's inside release causes the safety to pedal inside leaving even more room for the corner route.
Carr ensures the cornerback will bite on the out with a pump fake and then lofts a perfectly thrown ball to Holton and he goes untouched all the way into the end zone.
Conclusion
Del Rio knew it was a gamble letting go of Bill Musgrave, who is experienced and led the No. 6 Raiders offense last year. Downing has never been an offensive coordinator or playcaller at any level of football, but he's flashed the potential to be a really good one. The question is if Downing will learn fast enough on the job to get the offense on the level it needs to be to compete for a championship.
We should see Crabtree practicing this week, right?

Raiders are gonna be here until 2021 lol.

