Oakland Raiders: McKenzie Makes Big Mistake In Cutting Jones
By Kevin Saito
Late Sunday evening, the Oakland Raiders faithful was no doubt, still basking in the afterglow of a draft class that netted them a handful of new starters – most notably the best wideout in the draft, Amari Cooper.
And then the other shoe dropped, and smacked everybody back into reality.
That other shoe, of course, came in the form of word first reported by Fallon Smith of CSN Bay Area, who Tweeted out word that after just one season, the Raiders were cutting ties with wide receiver James Jones.
BREAKING: San Jose native James Jones told me GM Reggie McKenzie has informed him the #Raiders are going to release him. #Raiders
— Fallon Marie Christopher (@FallonSmithTV) May 4, 2015
It was a move that caught most everybody flatfooted because it was so unexpected. Jones led the team in receptions last season with 73, and his 666 receiving yards were second only to Andre Holmes‘ 693 yards.
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Jones was the veteran voice and presence that a young, very inconsistent Raiders’ receiving corps needed – and still needs. And Reggie McKenzie made a terrible mistake in releasing him.
In the aftermath of Jones’ release, two of the most common themes being espoused by some members of the media, not to mention some of Oakland’s fan base, to justify the move were Jones’ age, and his perceived slip in productivity – most point to his paltry 9.1 yards per catch to back up the latter assertion.
On the first point, there is no argument. Jones is thirty one years old and there is no hiding that fact. And unfortunately for him, at this moment in time, it seems that McKenzie is busying himself with getting rid of anybody and everybody within shouting distance of thirty years old – the lone exception being Charles Woodson, of course, who seems ageless, and whose productivity cannot be questioned.
McKenzie is looking to build the roster around youth. And there’s no faulting him for that. But getting rid of all of the veterans – simply because they are veterans – is a bad decision, and a risky move altogether. At his supposed “advanced age” last season, Jones was arguably, the best wide receiver the Raiders had on the field at any point in time.
On the second point though, Jones’ “slip” in productivity is more a symptom of the larger disease that was the Raiders’ offense last season. The biggest factor in Jones slipping to a career low 9.1 yards per reception is mitigated by the fact that the pair of head coaches – Dennis Allen and Tony Sparano – and the previous offensive coordinator – Greg Olson – were committed to a short and intermediate passing game.
Shots down the field were rare, and Jones was forced to catch balls in traffic – thus helping to explain the “inability to gain separation” that so many media talking heads are going on about. It’s pretty difficult to gain separation when you’re surrounded by the linebackers, corners, and even the peanut vendor on occasion.
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And though many are quick to point out that Jones had a career low in yards per reception, very few of those same people even seem to acknowledge that he set a career high in receptions. The only other season in his career where he came close to that number of receptions was 2012 where snagged 64 for the Green Bay Packers.
It should also be pointed out, since we’re talking stats, that Jones also had the highest receiving percentage on the team. He hauled in his 73 receptions on 112 targets for a 65 percent completion rate. The only person close to him was Butler – with 60 percent – though, he only had 35 targets all season long.
Letting go of a commodity like Jones seems especially risky given the fact that the veteran voice of the Raiders’ receiving corps now is Michael Crabtree. Rod Streater is the longest tenured Raiders’ wideout with three years in Silver and Black, but he’s coming off a major injury that robbed him of all but three games last year, and we don’t quite know what he’s going to look like just yet.
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Andre Holmes and Brice Butler, both with two years in Oakland, have both been inconsistent – at best – and don’t seem to fit into the Oakland leadership structure. It’s not even a guarantee the one, or either of them will still be on the roster in week one.
Which leaves Crabtree. While he can and will likely step into Jones’ role, play the slot, and be more of a possession-type receiver, there are still lingering questions about his attitude and work ethic. After a free agency period in which his market wasn’t anywhere near robust as he believed it would be, Crabtree certainly has a lot to prove, and will likely be playing with a chip on his shoulder.
If Crabtree can channel that energy and frustration into production on the field, it’s a win for McKenzie and the Raiders. If he channels it into something else and does in fact, turn out to be the terrible teammate and locker room cancer some claim him to be, it could all go to hell in a handbasket real quick.
Crabtree is younger and has the potential to be a bit more explosive – though his recovery from his Achilles injury hampered him last season, forcing his production down, so we don’t know yet whether that was an aberration or the new norm for him.
But Jones was a consummate professional who did his job and never caused the sort of scene Crabtree became known for. He simply went out and played, and did what needed to be done for the team. And that sort of thing can’t be replaced.
If the wide receivers’ depth chart was getting a little too crowded for comfort, Kenbrell Thompkins, Butler, or even Holmes should have been first up and out. Thompkins and Butler were both wildly inconsistent, and never seemed to really gel with the offensive unit. If not either of them, then Holmes should have been next up for his inconsistency, and his 47 percent completion rate.
What Jones did for the Raiders in 2014 went well beyond the stat sheet. Will the Raiders’ receiving corps get along well enough with him? Yeah, probably. But would the Raiders’ receiving corps be better with his steady, reliable veteran presence? Without a doubt.
But McKenzie now seems so desperate to get younger, that he’s losing sight of what can take this team and turn it from a good collection of talent, into a very good team – a team capable of winning some ballgames. And to do that, you need a healthy balance of youthful vigor and explosiveness combined with savvy veterans to show the “kids” how life in the NFL works and what it takes to win.
But what’s done is done. Jones is gone, and the Raiders are moving forward. We can all only hope this isn’t a move that comes back to bite them.