Getty Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden
To say that Jon Gruden’s first season back on the sidelines with the Oakland Raiders has been disappointing thus far would be a major understatement. The team currently sits at 1-4 and if not for a few fortunate plays, could easily be 0-5.
While the Raiders are certainly lacking in a few areas, there have been issues all across the board. This is why when Gruden shouldered the bulk of the on-field blame Monday, it wasn’t all that surprising.
Per Matt Schneidman of the Bay Area News Group:
It’s certainly unique to hear a coach take on this level of blame. And while Gruden has made some questionable decisions, such as throwing a pass on the 1-yard-line when you have Marshawn Lynch, it can’t all fall on him.
Raiders’ Struggles This Season
Not only has Derek Carr been incredibly hit-or-miss, throwing seven touchdowns and eight interceptions, but Amari Cooper has completely disappeared at various points this year. The 24-year-old wideout has had games of 128 and 116 yards, and then others with 10, 17 and nine yards.
Your top wide receiver needs to produce at a better clip than that. Whether it has more to do with Carr not getting him the ball or Cooper just not getting open, something has to change.
The pass-rush issue falls on multiple people, and specifically anyone who was involved with trading Khalil Mack. The Raiders have just six sacks this season and Mack has five while playing one less game due to the Bears bye week. However the Raiders can generate a more consistent pass-rush, it needs to happen quickly because the lack of pressure is making life much tougher on the rest of the defense.
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