Oakland Raiders: 5 Things To Look For In Preseason Game #3

August 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) runs with the football against the St. Louis Rams during the first quarter in a preseason NFL football game at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Will Oakland’s Offensive Chemistry Continue to Grow?

In the first game, we saw a short to intermediate passing game from Carr and his new weapons Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. In the second game against the Vikings, OC Bill Musgrave opened up the playbook a little more and let Carr uncork a few passes. One was a beautiful 40 yard bomb to Cooper that set the Raiders up for a touchdown. The second was a long pass up the right sideline that Seth Roberts should have caught – and Carr let him know about it.

With pass catching tight ends Mychal Rivera, and rookie Clive Walford – when he comes back – a pass catching running back in Roy Helu, a speedy change of pace back in Taiwan Jones, and a deep receiving corps led by Cooper, Crabtree, Rod Streater, and some combination of Andre Holmes, Roberts, Brice Butler, Kenbrell Thompkins, and Josh Harper, the Raiders have a multifaceted, potent, and potentially explosive offense.

What they need a little more of is chemistry. There are certain plays here and there where they seem a little out of synch, or a step too fast or slow. Those are things that will likely be ironed out by the time we hit the regular season. And when they are, the Raiders could potentially field an offense well within the top ten in the league. It will be layered, multidimensional, and have a lot of moving parts that will keep defenses guessing.

Last season, Oakland’s offense ran through Derek Carr. They had no running game to speak of, so defense could afford to send a fierce pass rush and then sit back and play the pass. That won’t be the case this season, as it’s looking more and more like they’ll have to game plan for a running game led by Latavius Murray – a strong, powerful, and fast running back – and a passing game that will have a ton of options for Carr.

Oakland’s offense, once that chemistry is solid, and the unit has gelled, will be something to behold. It will be the type of potent, high powered offense the Raiders haven’t had since Rich Gannon wore the Silver and Black.

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