Oakland Raiders: Older Players Not Always Better Players

The Oakland Raiders have an array of explosive young talent on offense, though some still pine for a veteran to guide them. However, older does not always mean better.

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The Oakland Raiders finished a 2015 season that saw them improve dramatically on both sides of the ball. And a highly productive offseason has them poised to achieve even more. However, there are some out there who still complain that Oakland is missing some key ingredients – such as a veteran receiver to pair with – and/or replace – some of the Raiders’ stable of youngsters.

However, these folks seem to miss the obvious point that older does not always mean better.

According to Sam Robinson of Today’s Pigskin, the Raiders are taking a big risk by not adding a veteran receiver to team with Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. By Robinson’s apparent estimation, the Raiders would have done better to bring somebody older in and jettison either Seth Roberts or Andre Holmes in the process.

Said Robinson:

"“There are elements to like about Seth Roberts, Holmes and Clive Walford. But did this trio inspire to the point that Oakland’s decision-makers could ignore the team’s auxiliary pass-catching roles altogether? A team that ranked 24th in total offense in 2015 and failed to score more than 24 points in any of its final eight games treated its aerial corps like one with an established offense would.”"

To be fair, Robinson is correct to note that Oakland’s offense did rank twenty-fourth in the league – and sixteenth overall in the passing game. But he does overlook a few overlook a couple of key factors here.

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The first thing Robinson overlooks is the fact that through the first eight games of the season, Derek Carr was on fire. He threw for 300 plus yards four times and 250 or more twice more. And as a team, the Raiders scored 27 points or more five times. Over that span of eight games, Carr also threw 19 touchdowns against just four interceptions.

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Over the first half of the 2015 season, the Raiders had one of the top passing attacks in the league led by Carr and his stable of receivers – Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, and Seth Roberts. Andre Holmes even chipped in from time to time, snagging three of his four touchdown receptions over that span of games.

So after such a sizzling first half, what happened? Because as Robinson rightly notes, the Raiders’ passing attack was fairly average over the second half of the season.

What Robinson doesn’t note however, is the mitigating factor in the decline in productivity suffered by Oakland’s passing game. It’s not a coincidence that the power outage in the Raiders’ passing game came right about the same time as their decline in the running game.

Over the first half of the season, when Oakland’s passing attack seemed to be clicking on all cylinders, running back Latavius Murray was churning out almost 80 yards a game and rushing for roughly 4.8 yards per carry. Oakland’s running game was a legitimate threat and defenses had to account for it.

However, over the second half of the season, Murray’s productivity suffered, resulting in him gaining an average of about 54 yards per game with his per carry average dropping to just 3.3 yards – quite a stark difference between halves of the season.

When the Raiders’ running game suffered, defenses were better able to neutralize the Raiders on the ground and key on Carr and the passing game. Murray simply got worn down and needed help that neither Taiwan Jones or Roy Helu was able to provide.

But Robinson, ignoring those facts, throws out a suggestion that he believes will make the Raiders passing attack electric again – bringing in a veteran. And who are the veterans Robinson suggest the Raiders bring in? Jerricho Cotchery, Andre Johnson, or Marques Colston.

Ignoring the fact that all three of those guys are well past thirty and the Raiders are trying to get younger, the idea that any one of those three could make a constribution significant enough that it would justify getting rid of a younger, talented player like Roberts or Holmes is pretty laughable.

It’s even more laughable when you consider the fact that Roberts, getting reps as the third receiver in the rotation, put up stats that were pretty well on par with all three of the receivers Robinson named.

And just in case you needed visual proof of that, here you go:

Seth Roberts: 32 receptions, 480 yards, 5 touchdowns

Marques Colston: 45 receptions, 520 yards, 4 touchdowns

Andre Johnson: 41 receptions, 503 yards, 4 touchdowns

Jerricho Cotchery: 39 receptions, 485 yards, 3 touchdowns

So – what was it again any of the three veterans Robinson suggested the Raiders add to the roster bring to the table that Roberts didn’t already provide from the third wideout spot?

Yes, there are some flaws and inconsistencies to both Roberts and Holmes’ games that need to be ironed out. Both of them need some work. There’s no question about it. But both of them have something any one of Robinson’s three suggestions don’t have – youth. Both of them are young, can learn, and will improve.

Both Roberts and Holmes add depth and dimension to Oakland’s passing game and heading now, into year two in OC Bill Musgrave‘s system, they seem poised to take another big step forward with the Raiders’ offense.

The Raiders have a potent passing attack as it stands. What they need to really make it go is a ground game as potent as their passing game.

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What they absolutely don’t need is to bring in another over the hill veteran with way too many miles on their tires, and not a whole lot left in the tank. That was the model Al Davis used in his later use to the incredible detriment of the team.

But this is a new era in Raider football and the organization is once again making sound decisions and smart choices. While there is something to be said about the value of experience, the Raiders are focused on getting younger, better, more explosive, and finding consistency in the development of their core of young players.

Folks like Robinson would do well to look back over the recent history of the team for a stark reminder that older doesn’t always mean better.