Oakland Raiders: Jon Gruden highlights need to use Amari Cooper

Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden shared what he saw after breaking down Week 1 film. Apparently, wideout Amari Cooper should’ve had more opportunities.

Quarterback Derek Carr‘s three interceptions stood out as huge blunders in the Oakland Raiders‘ 33-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams Monday. Head coach Jon Gruden took note of a few missed opportunities in the passing attack aside from the turnovers.

During Wednesday’s media press conference Gruden addressed Amari Cooper’s quiet opening game; he caught one pass for nine yards and ran for nine yards as well. Carr targeted the fourth-year wideout three times in the aerial attack.

The Raiders head coach felt the AC-DC connection should’ve hooked up on a few more attempts.

"“You look at the film, we had him wide-open deep, we didn’t go there. He was open a couple times and for whatever reason, we didn’t go that route. We want to get him going. That’s easier said than done.”"

Gruden didn’t specifically place the blame on anyone, but his assessment lets everyone know Cooper didn’t just disappear in a big game. For reasons undisclosed, he ran free downfield, and Carr couldn’t find him in open space.

Carr dinked and dunked his way up and down the field for most of the first half with the exception of a few passes to tight end Jared Cook, who caught nine passes for 180 yards. The game plan worked throughout the first half. The Raiders led 14-13 at halftime.

The Rams completely flipped the script in the second half, and Carr had little to no success moving the ball through the air. He threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter—cornerback Marcus Peters returned one for a touchdown to seal a victory for Los Angeles.

It’s unclear why Carr missed Cooper on some wide-open opportunities, but it’s not the first time the 27-year-old may have neglected options deep downfield.

Last year, after a Week 8 loss to the Buffalo Bills, former Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio directly criticized Carr for committing to checkdowns before taking a look downfield for chunk gains. In the press conference below, at the 3:50-mark, he reveals a potential flaw that could still be present in Carr’s game:

"“Derek is one of the best in the league at making quick decisions and getting the ball out of his hands. Yesterday, there were some occasions where we look at the film and he looks at it, he’s going say I had more time. I wasn’t under duress. I had more time to scan the field and take some of the shots that we had designed to take. Get the ball downfield the way we can, the way he’s capable of.” – Gruden"

NFL teams win and lose together. It’s unfair to blame one person or give all the credit to one individual. Nonetheless, the Raiders will go as far as Carr takes them this year. Gruden remodeled the defense, and it’ll take time for play-caller Paul Guenther to mold the unit into a formidable group. The offense will need to put up points.

Oakland signed wideout Martavis Bryant, who didn’t make the 53-man cut Sept. 1, allowing him another opportunity to make an impact in the aerial attack. Together, he and Cooper can take the lid off defenses. Nonetheless, Carr has to go through his reads and feel comfortable throwing the ball downfield to force opponents to respect the deep ball.