Getty Josh Jacobs with former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
The post-Jon Gruden era got off to a great start for the Las Vegas Raiders with a dominant win over the Denver Broncos. To say that Gruden and interim head coach Rich Bisaccia have different demeanors would be a gross understatement. The former made a career out of being one of the most eccentric characters in the entire NFL. He was a fiery leader that led his team with passion.
Bisaccia is plenty passionate but he doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. That was evident in Week 6. Running back Josh Jacobs revealed that there was a major difference on the sideline against the Broncos.
“Man, the sideline was just so, it was like, it wasn’t no anxiety,” Jacobs said of the vibe on the sideline during Sunday’s game. “It was weird. It was like everybody was calm, you didn’t have somebody cussing at you, or going crazy at the refs. None of that. Something bad happened and it like, ‘OK, next play.’”
Whether he means it or not, Jacobs’ comments do come off as a bit of criticism towards Gruden. It sounds like the coach would cause anxiety throughout the team. Those feelings can really exhaust young players. It remains to be seen if Biscaccia is the right guy to lead the Raiders going forward but he does have a calming presence compared to his predecessor.
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Jacobs Feels Healthier Than Ever
GettyJosh Jacobs & Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jacobs was a focal point of the Raiders offense over the last two seasons but has seen his productivity take a nosedive in 2021. He only has 175 rushing yards in four games and is averaging 3.2 yards a carry. A big reason he’s struggled early on is health. He clearly wasn’t 100% in Week 1 and then missed two games.
Jacobs is now getting healthy and might even be healthier than he’s even been.
“I haven’t went two weeks in a row since I’ve been in the league where I’ve come out of games with nothing, you know what I’m saying?” Jacobs said Wednesday. “Like, no scratches, no nothing. This is the first time I’ve felt this good.”
Jacobs’ struggles haven’t been all his fault. The offensive line has been bad for most of this season. Now that he’s feeling good and the offensive line showed some signs of improvement in Week 6, perhaps Jacobs is ready to get things going.
Jacobs Believes OL Is Headed in Right Direction
The Raiders’ season could hinge on the offensive line. As previously stated, the group hasn’t played well this season. However, they did play better against a solid Broncos defense. Despite the improvement, Jacobs wants to see more from the offensive line.
“It’s always room for improvement, but that was a step in the right direction,” Jacobs said. “We finally got a lot of guys that are getting a lot of movement. … Like I told them, ‘Man, just keep stacking days.’ And you can see that they’re starting to get confidence and they’re starting to move faster and play faster.”
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