Oakland Raiders: It’s Only April, But Denver Fans Already Clutching Their Pearls

Reason #4 – A Change In Offensive Coordinator

"“The ‘offensive juggernaut’ of 2016 lost their offensive coordinator… to the Denver Broncos. What does it mean when a team has their best year offensively in damn near a generation and the man who orchestrated it gladly takes a demotion to join a rival to get the heck away from it?”"

History is a funny and apparently, a flexible thing. And clearly, comprehending – or accurately recalling – history isn’t high on everybody’s list. To wit, the idea that former Raiders OC Bill Musgrave “gladly took a demotion to join a rival to get the heck away from it,” clearly ignores things like – facts. And actual history.

Jack Del Rio and the Raiders chose to not renew Musgrave’s contract as OC. This wasn’t a case of Musgrave bolting out the front doors. This was a case of him being nudged out of them. Musgrave’s time in Oakland had run its course and he wasn’t picked up for another tour of duty. Simple as that.

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In his place steps former quarterbacks coach Todd Downing – a man most would agree had more to do with Carr’s development as a top notch quarterback (something Denver clearly lacks) than Musgrave ever did.

And what should terrify Denver fans (and it likely does), is that under Downing, Carr is going to have a freedom and trust he didn’t experience under Musgrave. The system will be largely the same, but Downing has promised to give Carr more opportunities and more input into how the game plans are implemented and executed.

With the little bit of slack in the leash he had under Musgrave, Carr excelled. Given more freedom and slack in the leash under Downing, the sky is quite literally the limit. The problem with Musgrave is that because he had been doing his thing for so long, he was more or less inflexible when it came to certain things. He knew best. That of course, led to some stagnation and predictability with his play calling.

But Carr has been growing by leaps and bounds each and every season since he was drafted. It’s time to take the training wheels off and let the league see what he can really do. It’s a concept that Musgrave failed to understand, but one that Downing eagerly embraces.

The “offensive juggernaut” should be able to pick up right where it left off before Carr’s injury last season. Only, with new weapons like Jared Cook and Cordarelle Patterson, you are going to see some new, exciting wrinkles.

The offense, in some respects, will remain the same. In other respects though, it will change in significant ways. On some level, fans like this poster probably realize it and are already gripping about it.

But hey, you folks in Denver enjoy Bill Musgrave.