Oakland Raiders: Rendezvous with Bill Musgrave set for Week 12
The Oakland Raiders will prepare for a Bill Musgrave-led offense in Week 12 after the Denver Broncos dismissed Mike McCoy as the offensive coordinator.
On Monday, the Denver Broncos fired Mike McCoy and promoted Bill Musgrave to the offensive coordinator position, per the team’s official website. He’s the same guy behind the Oakland Raiders‘ top-10 offense during the 2016 campaign.
According to Denver Post reporter Nicki Jhabvala, head coach Vance Joseph wanted to give McCoy enough time to right the ship with quarterback Brock Osweiler under center. Ironically, Joseph made the switch in time for Musgrave to call plays against Oakland where he served as a coordinator for two years under head coach Jack Del Rio.
The Broncos and Raiders will stumble into Sunday’s contest with struggling offensive units. Denver ranks 24th in points scored while Oakland lists 20th in the category. Though, McCoy’s unit accumulated more yards (18th) than offensive coordinator Todd Downing’s group (21st).
Something must give in Week 12 between the two teams. The Raiders will have to dissect the Broncos No Fly Zone. Furthermore, a former coordinator plans to attack a porous secondary that hasn’t recorded an interception through 10 games.
On the bright side, Musgrave won’t have a quarterback like Derek Carr on his sideline. According to Jhabvala, Joseph hasn’t ruled out Trevor Siemian as an option moving forward:
Joseph said "it's possible" they could go back to Siemian. All three in the running.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 20, 2017
Typically, edge-rusher Khalil Mack feasts on the Broncos offensive line. He’s accumulated nine career sacks against the division rival. Musgrave will likely work on adding hurdles in the pass protection for whoever starts under center on Sunday.
Many Raiders fans wanted Musgrave out as the offensive coordinator, citing a lack of creativity for an offense with dynamic assets. However, a portion of the fanbase sang a different tune after watching the offense fail to score more than 17 points in six out of 10 contests in 2017.
Despite clearly upgrading the tight end position with Jared Cook, who leads the team with 535 receiving yards, the dynamic weapons look basic under Downing’s direction. As a rookie coordinator, there’s still some room for him to grow. Unfortunately, Oakland may have inadvertently punted the 2017 season while he learns the job.
Del Rio and Musgrave will say the right things at the podium leading up to Sunday’s contest. However, the competitive nature of the game should bring out the best in the Broncos coordinator.
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Oakland’s offense carried the team to several victories while the defense looked mediocre through most of the 2016 campaign. Yet, Raiders brass decided to allow Musgrave’s contract expire, which led to his stint with the Broncos. Sunday’s Week 12 matchup carries a compelling backstory that may further highlight the Raiders’ mistake in switching offensive coordinators.