It only took one game for Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak to figure out how to effectively use second-year running back Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty played 50 total snaps in the Week 1 win over the Miami Dolphins, earning a 71.0 PFF grade. The Raiders’ young star had 23 carries, leading to 102 rushing yards while averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and recorded 79 yards after contact.
In the passing game, Jeanty had six receptions for 45 receiving yards, averaged 7.5 yards per reception, and recorded two receiving touchdowns. On the Sept. 15 edition of “Initial Contact,” former Raiders offensive lineman Richie Incognito had praise for the young running back.
“He had a couple breakout games last year where you saw it, and you’re like, ‘Okay, this kid is special,'” Incognito said. “But nothing like this. This was this kid’s, ‘Hello, I’m in the NFL. I can do it all; I can run the ball [and] I can catch out of the backfield; I can thump these guys. I can come downhill and bounce off a guy.’
“We saw all these crazy plays at Boise, with the offensive line and the play calling and everything as it was last year; we got glimpses of it. We got a little shot here, a little shot there. Okay, he had one game where he had a bunch of receiving yards. Man, this was awesome for my Raiders.”
Raiders Finally Have Good Coaching
Moreover, Incognito noted that the Raiders were able to beat up on a team like the Dolphins and see an offensive weapon like Jeanty go off for 147 yards from scrimmage because of coaching. After the last few years of having a revolving door of head coaches, Las Vegas appears to have figured that out with Kubiak.
“This was awesome to see with the Raiders,” Incognito added. “Kubiak’s coaching matters. The core of this team was the same core that Pete Carroll had. Kubiak, all the reports coming out of camp were that the guys love this guy. He’s a football guy; e’s coaching them up [and] he’s getting them going. He’s efficient with practice.
“I went up there and watched practice, and I was like, ‘Yep, this passes the sniff test. This looks like a professional team. This looks like a team that is getting better each day. They’re working on fundamentals; they know they’re not where they need to be [and] they know they’re a young team. They know they got a lot of holes, but what they’re going to do is be a fundamentally sound football team.’ So to see these boys go out there and get it yesterday, it was an emotional day.”
Kirk Cousins on Ashton Jeanty’s Week 1 Performance
After the game against the Dolphins, veteran QB Kirk Cousins spoke about Jeanty’s performance and noted what the player means to their offense, as he will be a focal point throughout the season.
“I can’t say enough good things about Ashton,” Cousins told reporters after the win over Miami. “He’s a very capable runner. You saw it today. He’s very capable in the pass game; he’s a leader for us. He’s a guy who sets a great example [and] does things the right way. You can put a lot on his plate mentally. I can’t credit our wellness team in the training room enough for getting him back and getting him ready in a short amount of time.
“They did a phenomenal job. Credit those guys, and Ashton’s diligence to put the work in to be ready to go. I’m proud of his effort today. We really needed him, and he was a big reason we won the game.”
Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty Gets Telling Words After Week 1 Performance