Rumors about Davante Adams’ frustration with the Raiders offense in recent weeks, it turns out, are not just rumors. And you don’t need an unnamed source to tell it to you—Adams himself let loose at practice on Wednesday, saying that he is, indeed, frustrated with a Raiders offense that got him just six catches for 74 yards over the past two weeks.
The Raiders won both of those games, first over the Packers, then over the Patriots. Now might appear to be a time to celebrate the fact that the Raiders are back at .500 after their 1-3 start.
But Adams can’t quite do that, not when the Raiders scored just 21 points last week and 17 the previous week. In fact, the Las Vegas offense has not gone over 20 points at all this season—they had 19 points in Week 6 vs. New England when Maxx Crosby of the defense tallied a safety to push them to 21.
“It’s a work in progress obviously and we’re gonna continue to work through it,” Adams said at his weekly meeting with reporters. “But I am a human being and I have extremely high standards for myself and this offense. So, to me it’s not just about …
“I’m sure people are thinking, ‘They won the game, they won the Packers game, so why is there an issue?’ You see why there’s an issue. Y’all should know who I am, know what I’m about at this point.”
Raiders’ Davante Adams Frustration Boils
Adams is still among the best receivers in the league, and was ranked at the top of the NFL’s wide-receiver pile by Pro Football Focus in the offseason. He has 39 catches for 471 yards this season, which rank ninth and 12th in the league, respectively.
Overall, he’s had four seasons with 1,300-plus receiving yards and has been selected to the past six Pro Bowls and the last three All-Pro teams. Bein in the Top 10 in receptions is a nice accomplishment, obviously, but Adams has higher standards.
“When you’re a player like me, mentally my benchmark is not wins and losses, it’s greatness,” he said. “So when I go out there, I expect to be able to have that ability to put that on tape and have an influence on the game. Like I say every week, that’s my purpose for being here. I’m not here to hang out and all of that stuff, hang out with Derek (Carr, last year’s starter and Adams’ college QB) like that stuff from last year. I came here to win.”
Davante Adams Knocks QBs, not Coaches
Adams appeared reticent to directly criticize coach Josh McDaniels for his play-calling, but did point to needing better communication. He did not mention the play specifically, but the instance in which he took a vicious hit that led to an interception during the first quarter of the Patriots win probably stuck with him.
Jabril Peppers CRUSHES Davante Adams and sets up the INT for Jahlani Tavai 😱
“I came here to win and to do it the right way,” Adams said. “So, I mean, if it don’t look like it’s supposed to look, then I’m going to be frustrated if I’m not part of that plan. I have the opportunity to go and change that and make it look like a much better picture out there.”
And yes, being as great as Adams is has had an effect on how quarterbacks approach him. It’s hard, Adams conceded, to constantly throw into tight-window situations, where Adams is well-covered. But he said history shows he will make catches in those situations.
He did appear to put the bulk of the problem onto the team’s quarterbacks, starter Jimmy Garoppolo and backups Brian Hoyer and Aidan O’Connell.
“I’m not naïve,” Adams said, “at the end of the day I know it’s not easy throwing to somebody who gets the coverage I get. And it’s a lot of attention, a lot more than Jimmy, Derek, Hoyer, whoever we got out there, Aidan—it’s a lot more complex picture than the numbers that we studying during the week.
“It’s real critical each time of making sure we execute the proper way. So if we can’t adjust throughout games, you know talk—me-the quarterback or me and the head coach, whetever the case may be, if we don’t have the communication to make the picture right, well then, it’s gonna be a lot more difficult.”
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Davante Adams Unleashes Frustration With Raiders in Press Conference