Oakland Raiders’ Up-Tempo Offense Will Be Founded Upon Strong Running Game
By Kevin Saito
Much of the talk over the last couple of days has centered around the Oakland Raiders installing elements of Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense. QB Derek Carr is already on record as saying he’s pumped up and ready to roll in the no-huddle offense. Given his success with the scheme at Fresno State – and he had quite a bit of it – it’s not overly surprising that he’s on board with it.
Dec 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) runs the ball against the Buffalo Bills in the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Though the idea of a high powered, high octane offensive attack by the Raiders conjures some really intriguing images, it’s not necessarily going to be the reality. Lest anybody think the Raiders are going to become the Philadelphia Eagles West, Oakland HC Jack Del Rio dispelled that notion during an informal lunch meeting with reporters.
It was clear from Del Rio’s words that while the no-huddle attack would be incorporated into Oakland’s offensive scheme, it wasn’t going to be the primary focus.
"“That’s something that we will want to be able to do when we decide we want to do it. We want to be able to go at different speeds. If we want to go fast, we’ll go fast. If we want to play at a no-huddle but methodical pace, we can do that. If we want to huddle and really milk it, we’ll know how to do that.”"
Del Rio’s words fall in line with comments made earlier by incoming OC Bill Musgrave who said, “I’m definitely not going to come in with a system and force anybody to do something that’s not natural. We’re definitely going to try to customize and tailor the Raiders’ system to fit the Raider players.”
Given Musgrave’s history – and success – in establishing a potent ground game, it seems pretty clear that the Raiders’ offensive attack is going to be predicated upon a strong running game. Said Musgrave, “Philosophically, I do believe in running the football. I definitely want to be a physical outfit that runs the ball and imposes their will on the defense.”
Heading into last season, the running game was expected to be a strength of the Raiders’ offensive attack with Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew leading the resurgence. However, not only did the ground game sputter and stall from the get-go, former OC Greg Olson abandoned it far too early, and never let his backs get into any sort of rhythm.
By season’s end, only the Arizona Cardinals had fewer rushing yards than Oakland, but the Raiders had the fewest rushing attempts in the entirety of the NFL, clocking in at a paltry 21.1 attempts per game. Most of the offensive burden fell upon the shoulders of rookie QB Carr, who was asked to do far too much by Olson and the Oakland coaching staff.
To his credit, though he had his ups and downs, Carr did not wither, nor did he succumb to the pressure. He went on to have a very productive year and showed the sort of talent and poise the Raiders have been looking for in a quarterback for years.
But it should go without saying that if the Raiders hope to have success in the air in 2015, whether they’re running an up-tempo, no-huddle scheme, or go more traditional by having Carr under center, their ground game absolutely needs to have some serious bite. Defenses need to fear the Oakland running game so that they don’t simply pin their ears back and get after Carr – much like we saw last season.
Which leads us to the state of the Oakland ground game. Latavius Murray began to emerge toward the end of last season and perhaps not so coincidentally, as he got more touches and showed some real flashes of brilliance, the Raiders began to win some games. Given that he is likely the best option for Del Rio at this point, he is the starter by default at this point.
Live Feed
SideLion Report
Though Del Rio refuses to commit to him just yet, Murray deserves more touches, and deserves to be the featured back heading into the 2015 season. He was certainly miles ahead of either McFadden or Jones-Drew in terms of explosiveness and productivity last season.
And speaking of McFadden and Jones-Drew, the Raiders will need to make some decisions about the both of them. McFadden was signed to a very team friendly, one-year show me deal last season. Unfortunately for him, the only thing he showed Oakland, was that he wasn’t worth the first round pick the team burned on him in 2008.
Though it wasn’t entirely his fault given Olson’s penchant for abandoning the run game early, and he did run very well at some points last season, it’s clear that he doesn’t have much left to offer the team. It’s looking increasingly likely that Oakland will part ways and move forward without McFadden.
Oct 12, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew (21) rushes for a gain against the San Diego Chargers during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Oakland Raiders 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Which leaves us with the Jones-Drew situation. Injured at the start of the season, Jones-Drew quickly fell to third on the depth chart and gave the team absolutely nothing in 2014. Not that he was asked to do anything, mind you. For the year, Jones-Drew was given a total of 43 carries that he converted into a meager 96 yards – for a very anemic 2.2 ypc average.
There is some talk that Jones-Drew could be back in Oakland next year, given his history with Del Rio. Though Del Rio has remained completely non-committal to this point, it seems clear that he will give Jones-Drew every opportunity to compete for a roster spot. Said Del Rio, “He thinks he does (have something left). That’s something we need to find out. The first thing would be that he keeps his weight where it needs to be. So he can be explosive again.”
It certainly sounds as if Del Rio is championing Jones-Drew – who is already on record as saying he wants to return to Oakland and help turn things around. That could possibly require him to take a pay cut. Jones-Drew will count $2.5 million against the cap this year – which seems pretty pricey for a player who will undoubtedly be a backup. If a reworked deal can’t be negotiated, the Raiders could cut him and save themselves that $2.5 million.
So where does this leave us? With McFadden and Jones-Drew quite possibly having played their last game in Oakland, the Raiders only have Murray and perhaps their best all-around player in Marcel Reece in the offensive backfield.
While both Murray and Reece can and should figure prominently into the offensive scheme, look for Oakland to add a fresh, young – and cheaper – set of legs in the later stages of the draft, or perhaps from among the crop of undrafted free agents.
However they go about it, Oakland desperately needs to up their running game. Their ground attack must be productive, and it must be potent. The Raiders must make defenses account for their running backs rather than just tee off on Carr. Musgrave has an excellent reputation for putting together strong rushing attacks, having had a 1,000 yard rusher in five of his seven seasons as an OC – and the two years he didn’t have a 1,000 yard rusher, it was because he was without his star back for at least four games.
Adding the no-huddle wrinkle to their offensive playbook will be exciting for Raiders’ fans. It will add some depth and dimension previously unseen in Oakland. But if Del Rio and Musgrave can’t put together a potent running game that makes defenses have to account for it, that high flying offensive package is going to be grounded before it ever starts.