Las Vegas Raiders Preview

Edition #517

Good morning!

We’ve spent a lot of time this week talking about the offence and the failure to move the ball, but now it’s time to look forward. The Jets head to Vegas with the perfect opportunity to right the ship…again. The Raiders have been given a jolt in the arm with the firing of Josh McDaniels and the insertion of popular linebackers coach Antonio Pierce as the interim Head Coach. But they’re still not a good football team

We’re going to preview that game tonight, but first, we’re going to hear from the coordinators who met with the media yesterday and we’re going to touch base with some power rankings.

NFL - 18th (Last week 13th) - “There’s just not much positive spin you can put on the Jets’ offensive performance Monday against a Chargers defense which hadn’t looked that good since it faced a since-fired coach (Josh McDaniels) and a fourth-round rookie making his first start (Aidan O’Connell). Zach Wilson had been trending in a relatively positive direction, but this game stunted that. There were impressive flashes here and there, but two early fumbles and a host of missed throws cost the Jets dearly in a home game that you have to figure they felt confident about winning coming in. But if Breece Hall or Garrett Wilson aren’t creating magic, this offense has very little hope these days, especially when it allows eight sacks.”

ESPN - 18th (Last week 13th) - “It's simple math: The Jets are 4-0 when Hall scores a touchdown. Going back to last season, it's 8-0. Running as if last year's ACL surgery never happened, Hall was leading the NFL in yards per carry (5.7) at the start of Week 9. The Jets' offense is out of balance because of a subpar passing game, causing opponents to overplay the run, but that hasn't stopped Hall from being the home run threat they haven't had in more than a decade.”

Yahoo Sports - 17th (Last week 13th) - “The Jets' defense leading New York to the playoffs is a fun fantasy, but it's hard to believe it's possible. The Jets are unwatchable on offense. A 27-6 loss, with the Jets' defense playing incredibly well and holding a good Chargers offense to 191 yards, is disheartening.”

The Athletic - 24th (Last week 21st) - “How do you not have a better backup plan when you sign a 39-year-old quarterback? The Jets loaded up this season, building a dynamite defense and getting running back Breece Hall back from injury. Aaron Rodgers’ injury is not New York’s fault, but not having a better Plan B than  Zach Wilson is. The Jets knew Wilson was what they saw again Monday night, which resulted in seven punts and another wasted defensive effort. New York leads the NFL with 5.88 punts per game.”

CBS Sports - 20th (Last week 12th) - “The offense is too limited without Aaron Rodgers. The offensive line is awful and Zach Wilson isn't good enough.”

Nathaniel Hackett was asked about the strengths of the offence: “Right now, I think all of us are trying to find out what we can do best and consistently. There are some great opportunities that show some explosive plays. We’re always looking for those things, and we love those, but we need to be consistent in certain things, and that’s what we’re looking for. I think there have been a lot of changes all over the place, and that’s normal, and we have to embrace that more.”

Hackett on the Jets heading for a historically bad year in terms of both red zone and third down offence - “You know, it’s unbelievably frustrating. It’s unbelievably frustrating. I think it is for all of us, but the only thing we know how to do is keep working. For me, keep coaching, keep looking at different things. Wanting to keep a foundation of what we’re trying to make. Find what we do good. I think that’s what you’re always trying to do, but at the same time, always being willing to change and being able to adapt with who we have out there. So, I think for me, yes, it’s frustrating. It’s frustrating for all the guys. I appreciate all those guys and all the coaches just continually keeping our head down and trying to find a way to battle.”

Jeff Ulbrich was asked about facing Aidan O’Connell - “A guy that doesn’t look like a rookie by any means. Great poise. We’re fortunate that Coach (Todd) Downing spent almost two days with him out at Purdue in the pre-draft process, so he gave us a lot of insight regarding the character, the man, the football intelligence, all of that, and he just raved about the kid and how he processed and his recall. His football intelligence was way more so than most rookies, and that absolutely shows on tape. He gets through his progressions fast, he delivers the ball accurately, and he’s got a little bit of crafty, sneaky athleticism to extend plays and move around, so it’s going to be a great challenge.”

Ulbrich was also asked about Micheal Clemons not falling on that fumble - “I don’t know if you guys saw our indo (individual period) today, Aaron (Whitecotton) had the entire defensive line doing the slide cradle drill in traffic, so definitely a learning experience, we had five opportunities with the ball last week, didn’t get them, need to get them because as well know those change the game.”

Who are the Las Vegas Raiders?

Unfortunately, that’s a difficult question to answer considering the change in coaching staff, at least at the top.

Under Josh McDaniels, they were a poor football team with a couple of star players. Davante Adams on the offensive side of the ball and Maxx Crosby on the defensive side of the ball.

Let’s just look at the Raiders defence to start things off because if the Jets offence don’t improve then we don’t have a chance. The good news is that yet again…they are facing a team there for the taking.

Let’s just run through some team rankings to get started: