Oakland Raiders Must Solve Their Bill Musgrave Dilemma

The Oakland Raiders are a team on the rise with a number of things going for them – but they still have to deal with their Bill Musgrave dilemma.

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There are a lot of things going right for the Oakland Raiders and for the first time in quite a long time, there is real reason for hope in the East Bay – for as long as the team calls the East Bay home, that is. But with youngsters like Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, Clive Walford, Latavius Murray, and savvy veterans like Michael Crabtree manning the offense, this is a team that’s on the rise. But even the good vibes coming out of Oakland can’t mask the problem the team has in OC Bill Musgrave.

Most people would argue that having a very nearly 4,000 yard passer, a 1,000 yard rusher, a 1,000 yard receiver – and a second receiver who very nearly hit 1,000 yards (Crabtree had 922 yards on the season) – wouldn’t constitute a problem. And given those numbers – taken at face value – would make it hard to argue the point.

Led by a host of young stars – and under the leadership of Musgrave – the Raiders offense hit heights it hasn’t seen in a long, long time. But that doesn’t mean everything is sunshine and rainbows in Oakland right now. There are some strong, valuable pieces already in place that can help this team rise from the ashes – a process already well underway.

But the problem is that when the stakes are at their highest, they have an offensive coordinator who doesn’t seem to trust them enough to take the training wheels off and simply let them ride.

When Musgrave was first hired, he came in with the reputation of being conservative, of being more interested in a power run game than a fast-paced, quick hitting offense. And having been spoiled by having Adrian Peterson running the ball for him over his three years in Minnesota, it’s understandable.

The difficulty with that approach though is that the Raiders obviously don’t have Adrian Peterson in their backfield. Murray is a talented back who is capable of special things in his own right, but he’s not Adrian Peterson.

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What the Raiders proved this past season though, is that they can have a dynamic and high powered offense. They have an offense that can rip off huge chunks of yards in the blink of an eye. We saw them do it time and time again. The trouble though, is that too often, Musgrave put the handcuffs on this offense.

Especially in the second half. More specifically, in the fourth quarter.

Simply put, the Raiders’ performance in the second half of ballgames is something to be concerned about. Oakland was outscored in the second half of games this season 158-192. Even worse, in the fourth quarter alone – several games whose outcome was far from determined – the Raiders were outscored 71-138.

But more than the raw numbers on the scoreboard, Musgrave’s play calling should be a particular concern. Too often, we saw the Raiders offense make like a turtle tucking itself back into its shell and play too conservative. Too often, we saw the Raiders offense playing not to lose rather than playing to win the game.

Take, just as one example, the game against Chicago early on in the year. With Chicago holding a narrow two point lead with time running down in the fourth quarter – and deep in Bears territory – Musgrave dialed up four straight rushes to the right by – Roy Helu Jr.

Predictably, the Raiders failed to gain the yardage they needed and were forced to kick a field goal to take a one point lead back. And as we all know, the Bears then went on a a last minute drive to kick the game winning field goal.

Some might say it was Oakland’s defensive collapse at the end that allowed the Bears to win the game. And they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. But the bigger problem was the uninspired play calling that showed a distinct – and problematic – lack of creativity at the end of the game that was the bigger reason the Raiders lost that game.

Sitting on a first down, deep in Chicago territory, why not take a shot or two to the endzone? If they score, they force the Bears to have to go the entire way down the field and put it in for a touchdown. Instead, Musgrave played it safe, got too conservative, and allowed Chicago to get away with only having to get to the 32 before kicking the game winner.

It’s a pattern we saw time and time again with Musgrave’s play calling. When things got tight, when it came down to crunch time, Musgrave didn’t seem to trust his offense and played it too safe – he wasn’t playing to win the ballgame.

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The Raiders have the pieces in place to have one of the league’s most dynamic offenses. The team can’t afford to have Musgrave double clutch and not trust his players to make plays. Oakland’s offense can’t and won’t fulfill their vast potential unless Musgrave is willing to take the handcuffs off – especially when the game is on the line.

There are a number of areas the Raiders need to improve upon as we head into the 2016 season. But not only do they need to do things differently – and better – on both sides of the ball, they need Musgrave to learn to trust his players, take the shackles off, and let this offense soar to perhaps, unprecedented heights.

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