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Oakland Raiders: Speaking the truth after Week 1

By Philip Robinson III

NASHVILLE, TN- SEPTEMBER 10: Running back Marshawn Lynch (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN- SEPTEMBER 10: Running back Marshawn Lynch (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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The Oakland Raiders 2017 season started off with a win over the Titans as the defense asserted itself and the offense showed it has new toys to play with.

If you looked around the NFL leading into Week 1, you started to see many people ready to turn on the Oakland Raiders in 2017. After a 12-win season a year ago, some thought that the hype train had gone too far. In their season-opener on the road against the Tennessee Titans, the Raiders showed that the hype was just right.

Playing across the country, Oakland not only looked like the same 12-win team from the 2016 season, but perhaps a better version. New additions to the offense proved to be beneficial while the defense showed great flashes that many were doubtful would show up this year.

Following such a great performance, let’s speak the truth about the Raiders in Week 1, touching on various points and players. Fittingly, we’ll begin with a native son making his debut in the silver and black.

Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch

All offseason long — since the rumor was leaked by Greg Papa on the Raiders flagship station 95.7 FM The Game — football fans have awaited the return of Beast Mode, Marshawn Lynch. In true Lynch-ian fashion it was time to run through someone’s face

And when all 5-10, 215 pounds of the pride of Oakland had his first beast moment, he ran through 305-pound Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jurrell Casey and put the man flat on his back.

To his credit, Casey took it on the chin and owned it:

There have been few men in the league who’s “gangster” is without question, and Lynch is one of them. Fresh off a year of retirement, the pride of “Ice City” (North Oakland, CA) claimed his first victim and served the league a reminder of just how he gets down.

Papa Giorgio 

What a story for one Giorgio Tavecchio. Just a few weeks ago, he was cut from the team in what was like a seasonal hobby to come and try out and kick for the Raiders. But when the Raiders needed him most, he responded not once, not twice, not three times, but with four field goals of varying lengths.

Two 52-yard kicks split the uprights, one 20-yard field goal was easy money (original extra-point line), and one 43-yard field goal added the final points. For the coup de grace, Tavecchio was awarded the game ball by coach Jack Del Rio.

The four field goals made by Tavecchio were all kicked under ideal conditions. It would be wise to reserve judgement for inclement weather and a season long body of work. For a gentleman who has been bounced around the practice squad year after year and been cut including this offseason, it was the welcome tale of redemption.

Sebastian Janikowski is 39 years old and on IR with back issues. He may very well be nearing the end of his days in Oakland, one way or another. Should that be the case, then Tavecchio may replace the sole remainder of the Al Davis era.

Eddie Vanderdoes

That is rookie third-round pick Eddie Vanderdoes. The man he absolutely dominated on that play is “First Team All-Pro” right tackle Jack Conklin.

One of the glaring weaknesses in this defense last year was it’s inability to collapse the pocket push the pocket and/or rush the passer from the middle of the line. In one play, you can see that with Vanderdoes on the job, that is no longer going to be an issue. But as luck would have it, there is another clip for you to experience the physicality of Vanderdoes.

Vanderdoes has earned the respect of his teammates from the moment he was allowed to take the practice field, and especially when the pads came on. With the way he dominated what should be one of the NFL’s best offensive lines he is going to see until Dallas comes to town, Vanderdoes can be an answer to prayers as a third round pick.

Welcome to the new offense

Watching the Raiders on offense is going to be nothing short of must-see TV. Our first glance of Todd Downing’s version of the Raiders offense has picked up right where they left off from last year.

The addition of Lynch has aided the extension of nastiness from the offensive line to every skill position player short of Derek Carr. Carr is still the fierce competitor, but still remains the most compassionate of people. But one thing was for certain watching this offense against Tennessee; they all are coming out looking to embarrass their competition and individual matchups.

Todd Downing

Downing’s offense featured a glimpse of whats to come for the future of the Raiders. Blending a mix of vertical and intermediate throws along with short, high percentage throws is the perfect way to ensure staying on schedule. What stood out was a much more noticeable attention to strengths in matchup.

In the passing game, the corners were identified as not physical enough to compete with the receivers, and the safeties not fast enough to cover the secondary options. But pleasantly surprising was the confirmation the Raiders made the right choice in allowing Latavius Murray to walk, and recruit/trade for Lynch out of retirement. Behind the best offensive line in football and with the fresh legs, Lynch punished the Titans.

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Orchestrating a near harmonic balance between explosive plays and gut punches, the Raiders finished with 359 yards of total offense en route to winning the time of possession battle 31:39 to 28:21. Scoring 26 points despite leaving a fair amount of meat on the bones is a very good indicator of just how good this offense can become. The receivers look bigger and stronger than ever, and all of the Raiders wide receivers were able to use their size as an advantage over the smaller defensive backs. Jared Cook is going to be a major factor for this team moving forward. His impact is felt without the ball in his hands and even more so when he’s a target.

The Quarterback

The Raiders offense last season began and ended with Carr, so suffice it to say, watching him take  back to back sacks was near justification to have a bonafide panic attack. But Carr has added some muscle mass of his own in preparation of enduring 17+ weeks in the NFL. Carr was good in this game where he didn’t need to be great.

His pass selection was solid, the only criticism one may be able to muster was the red zone opportunity squandered by forcing three-straight throws to Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper in single coverage against rookie Adoree’ Jackson, an ideal matchup any offense would covet. Aided by the condensed field of play, Jackson was able to turn away Cooper and the Raiders three-straight times.

Carr would finish with a respectable stat line, completing 22-of-32 passes for 262 yards and two touchdown. Good but not great. However, now complemented by the massive upgrade Lynch provides, there will be few times Carr needs to be great. It was comical to hear a field microphone pick up Carr calling out a blitz.

At the end of the game, he mentioned it being great to get a win, but there was a lot of things that needed to be cleaned up. Carr successfully out dueled Marcus Mariota (25-of-41, 256 yards, one rushing touchdown), even though the stat lines were nearly identical.

Offensive line

A typical day at the “Carr Insurance” office, is a tall order for all but the elite offensive lines in the NFL. Offensive line coach Mike Tice has been a master with this group of big and nasty men, the latest trick has been the implementation of wide zone run concepts. What transpired was a line that was able to wear down and outmuscle a very sound defensive front.

Running the football is about imposing your will on your opponent and wanting to pummel him into dust. When Beast Mode goes off and trucks a 300+ pound lineman head up in the hole, the offensive linemen want nothing more than to get Lynch started and watch him work up close and personal.

The lone obvious blemish to the wonderful day the offensive line produced was Vadal Alexander and the back to back sacks he surrendered to Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan. The competition with second-year Alexander and free agent signee Marshall Newhouse hasn’t quite panned out as a fruitful one. Alexander continues to separate himself with errors, penalties, and blown assignments. Newhouse on the other hand continues to be the invisible man, which as a lineman is not the worst thing in the world.

Running Backs

What can I say about Lynch that hasn’t already been said? At this point — and maybe it’s an overreaction to a good defense — Jalen Richard and Deandre Washington left something to be desired when Lynch watched from the sideline in the third quarter. The plan in Oakland is to use Lynch sparingly and keep him fresh and healthy, but after seeing how spry and bout that action he looked on Sunday, it may prove very difficult to stave off the desire to reallocate carries and playing time.

Rushing 18 times for 76 yards with a long run of 14 yards, running over a Pro Bowler and probably best player on their defense is a very convincing case. Making the most glaring hole in the Raiders offense the running back position when Lynch isn’t in.

Nothing but respect to Richard and Washington, but in that backfield last year, they seemed like they could push Murray. That’s not so much the case with Lynch. That’s just a physicality and mentality thing. There aren’t a lot of old school power runners with excellent feet and great vision and moves.

Wide Receiver 

This group looked healthy heading into Week 1 and it showed in the way they physically dominated the defensive backs of Tennessee. Michael Crabtree looked like an animal out there pushing people out of his way to gain position to make the catch. Crabtree led the team with six receptions for 83 yards with a longest play from scrimmage of 25-yard catch.

Amari Cooper started 2017 off with a bang, having the confidence to commit the cardinal sin of balancing on the football and then to man up and carry defenders into the endzone was highly impressive. Catching five passes for 62 yards and a score is a good game, but it doesn’t quite seem like the day he was hoping for being singled up against a rookie for most of the game.

Seth Roberts is like the closer, as he caught one pass — but it was the 19-yard pass up the seam and into paydirt. When Roberts catches a touchdown pass, the Raiders are a perfect 10-0. Cordarrelle Patterson was more of a decoy and special teams player against the Titans.

Tight End

Cook was the only tight end to crack the stat sheet against the Titans and the tied for second most receptions with five for a total of 56 yards and a long reception of 22 yards. At 6-5 with speed, the Raiders have their version of Travis Kelce. It will take Carr well into the season to establish the same level of trust and comfort in Cook that he has in Cooper, Crabtree, and Roberts, but it will come. Cook’s best should come against the few remaining foes the Raiders are looking up at.

Back off Ken Norton Jr. after one week

Widely believed to be the weak link in the team and a pressure point capable of preventing Oakland from achieving it’s goals, the Raiders defense was far from dominant, but it was solid on every down except third where the Titans were 7-of-14. Overall, the defense was much more physical than what was supposed to be an exotic power run team.

From preseason Week 3 to regular season Week 1, this defense got a whole lot more sound in terms of eye violations and silly penalties. Not beating themselves is a colossal step in the right direction for this defense to get better and climb the ranks.

The defense clamped down on the run in admirable fashion and held the Titans under 100 yards rushing collectively. Demarco Murray had 12 carries for 44 yards with one long run of 21 yards, Mariota had 26 yards and a score on three carries, and Derrick Henry was held to 25 yards on six carries. This is huge, because the exotic run game that Tennessee features is about as close to what the Kansas City Chiefs ran against New England as the Raiders can get.

A continuation of the bend but don’t break school of defense and more importantly being able to settle in early is a marked improvement. Holding the Titans to 33 percent red zone conversion, and limiting Mariota.

Confusing the Titans offense with a variety of looks, the key to beating the Titans was keeping the linebackers correctly spaced and zoned, disrupting the timing of the underneath routes.

Impact of Pagano

The opening defensive series revealed the Raiders to be lined up in more of a traditional 3-4 defense and no longer revealing their coverage in Mariota’s presnap reads. Defensively, the team seemed to be much more comfortable in the simplified zone assignments. There were no communication breakdowns, Corey James was able to successfully operate with green dot responsibilities. The more aggressive style of defense has been a welcome sight, and a schematic change which could benefit the current players on the roster.

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Defensive Line

Be still my fluttering heart. Watching Vanderdoes put Conklin on his back coming out of a standard get-off with a punch was a thing of beauty. Vanderdoes is a man on the defensive line with a very nasty attitude, perfect for his position. Vanderdoes split double teams, ate up one-on-one blockers, and got his hands on Mariota a few times.

Mario Edwards Jr. seemed to enjoy a move back to a 3-4 defensive tackle, versus a 4-3 defensive end and he aided young Vanderdoes in raising hell on the interior of the line. Edwards finished the day with half of the only sack against Mariota on the day, splitting it with Justin Ellis. Ellis has dropped weight and appears to be much quicker on his feet and less of a big lug on the field.

The D-line didn’t make it home to the quarterback more than once against the Titans, but they should be encouraged nonetheless for now. The Titans feature one of the top offensive lines in all of football and they physically dominated them. Mariota is also known to be a legitimate dual threat quarterback and is elusive as all get out. A more stationary quarterback would have gone down multiple times.

Linebackers

Khalil Mack came into this league as a stand up 3-4 outside linebacker, and made the first team All-Pro at two positions. Bruce Irvin also has a unique ability to play both standing up and with his hand in the grass and the two of them make up quite the tandem in rushing the quarterback and setting the edge.

An offsides call, one of the few penalties on defense, actually cost Mack his first recorded strip-sack of 2017. Boasting the best hands on the team, Mack shed a block, got his hands up to deflect a pass at the line of scrimmage, while having a decent shot at picking it off. Irvin was more of a deterrent then having a statistical impact.

The inside linebackers, the unit which has caught by far the most heat on the team, was adequate for its first action. The rudderless ship appears to have taken control and straightened up with a set course. In an interview with The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, general manager Reggie McKenzie dished his thoughts on his linebacking corps. NFL Spin Zone’s Maurice Moton had this to say about it:

The lesson to learn here is a combination of two theories good teams lose in the preseason because they are trying to coach up weaknesses and try new things. Vanilla defenses and lack of actual game planning can give the appearance of things being worse than they actually are.

Instead of focusing on one perfect linebacker, the Raiders have opted to find three guys who excel in individual aspects so that they can be used in a platoon-like fashion. Also ,cutting the field in half with two inside linebackers simplifies responsibility and focuses on read and react. In many a discussion, the point has been made that the linebackers on this roster are more suited to an attacking style of defense. At the end of Week 1, that definitely appears to be more likely than not.

Defensive Backs

The safeties played a complete game. Karl Joseph shook off the preseason rust he had and really played a solid game for the Raiders. Totaling nine tackles (six solo and three assisted), his most important play came on a play action roll-out designed to hit Eric Decker, who had come loose in the end zone. Joseph ranged back and to the flag, timed his jump for the last possible second, and reached out to swat away a would-be touchdown pass.

Reggie Nelson also had a solid game in terms of tackling efficiently and not allowing himself to get beat deep. Finishing with the second highest tackling total, he recorded five solo and three assisted tackles.

Sean Smith had the best game anyone has seen him play in a while. He was laying the wood on receivers and making plays on the football. In the $LB roll, it puts the best physical matchup the Raiders have on the opponents tight end or back out of the backfield. As long as Smith is able to avoid getting pitted against the smaller slot receivers, he should be fine.

David Amerson had a solid game as well since there were no passing touchdowns allowed and the majority of the yardage came from posts and underneath routes. T.J. Carrie continues to struggle and, with first-round pick Gareon Conley a full participant in practice, Carrie’s days may be numbered already. Carrie has been a liability in coverage and has been forced to play by necessity.

Next: NFL 2017: 20 Bold predictions for Week 2

Special Teams

In true music city miracle fashion, the Titans opened the 2017 season with a surprise onside kick. Only the kick went directly at Raider johnny-on-the-spot, Shalom Luani, who was waiting with open arms, butt down and fielding the kick like he was a shortstop.

Ex-practice squad kicker Tavecchio and his 4-of-4 contribution on field goals was touched on earlier. Great story couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid. The last major special teams play is the 41-yard kick return from Patterson on his only opportunity of the night. The return lead to what would ultimately be the final nail in the coffin score a 19-yard strike to Roberts on a verticals concept.

Penalties

Good teams don’t beat themselves and five penalties for 49 yards is one of the cleanest games I can ever remember seeing a Raider officiated game. Cleaning up all the small crevices is how good teams stay ahead of the curve.

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