Oakland Raiders: One Man Who Shouldn’t Escape Scrutiny And Criticism

The Oakland Raiders wind up their season with a meaningless game against the Chargers and the wheel of blame for the poor season is already spinning – but one name shouldn’t be allowed to pass by unnoticed.

Though a little late for Festivus, the Oakland Raiders, by virtue of a lackluster, horrifically inept season, have extended the time for us enjoy the annual Airing of the Grievances. Like, extended for an entire offseason.

That’s going to happen when you’re a 12-4 playoff team one year, only to absolutely plummet the following season, and enter the final week of the year, 6-9, having been officially eliminated from postseason contention a week before.

Though, in all fairness, they were pretty much eliminated from postseason contention when they got blown out in Kansas City back in week 14.

The year of misery, of course, has led to the annual gnashing of teeth, rending of garments, and howls of outrage that have been so common and familiar to the Raider faithful since their last season of relevance – back in 2002 when they were manhandled by Jon Gruden and Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.

2017 wasn’t supposed to be this way though. The Raiders came off their first postseason appearance since Nickelback was actually a thing, and were garnering legitimate Super Bowl buzz. At least, we thought it was legit. But, given the level of talent on the roster, it seemed fair to believe that they could stand toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and the Patriots.

And things seemed to be cruising right along through the first couple of weeks of the year, with wins over popular postseason choice Tennessee, and a Jets team that was better than anticipated in 2017.

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But, then wheels straight, fell off that wagon in week three against Washington – the first of four straight losses – and things were never right again.

Now, with the offseason just sixty minutes of game time away, the wheel of blame is spinning fast and furious. Todd Downing. Derek Carr. Jack Del Rio. Ken Norton Jr. The offensive line. The secondary. Amari Cooper.

Honestly, there really is no shortage of blame to go around. A lot of things went wrong and a lot of people had a hand in Oakland’s horribly inept, damn near catastrophic season.

But, there is one name that isn’t being thrown around with the frequency of the players and coaching staff. And it’s a name that deserves a fair share of scrutiny and criticism – Reggie McKenzie.

McKenzie, the reigning NFL Executive of the Year, after a year in which the Raiders regressed to the point that they’ve gone from playoff team to likely drafting inside the top-ten – again – should probably consider giving that award back.

Yes, the coaches and players deserve plenty of blame. No question. Players underperformed and coaches did a horrible job prepping this team. Downing and Norton both looked well out of their depth (as Norton did his entire tenure) and that falls on Del Rio – he should have recognized the warning signs and done something about it. Like maybe, breaking Norton off earlier than he did, and taking play calling duties away from Downing, and gave them to somebody like Mike Tice.

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As bad as the players and coaches were this year – and they were plenty bad – McKenzie was even worse.

This past offseason, McKenzie – and everybody else on the planet with half a brain – knew what Oakland’s areas of need were. Everybody knew what needed to be done to help take this team to another level. A potential championship level.

And that thing, was build up the defense.

Oakland’s offensive problems this year couldn’t have been predicted beforehand. It seemed a safe assumption that last year’s sixth-ranked offense – and seventh-ranked scoring offense – would pick up where it left off and be electric again.

But, what could – and should – have been predicted and prepared for, was the horrible play of the defense. After all, we’d seen it for two seasons running under Norton. Oakland’s defense last season – with most of the same faces – was one of the least productive, least efficient, and most terrible units in the league. In just about every major statistical category that matters.

Entering last offseason, the Raiders needed linebackers who could play the run and the pass. We got Marquel Lee in the fifth round and he quickly proved that he’s a liability in pass defense. UDFA Nicholas Morrow was a great add and he’s showed some genuine flashes. But, he’s not enough to solve the problems in the middle of that Raiders defense.

Given the play of Oakland’s corners last season, the Raiders needed some help. A lot of help, actually. McKenzie drafted Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu to help shore up the back end of that leaky defense.

The jury is still out on both, given the lack of time on the field this season, but the fact that McKenzie thought Conley, a rookie, was going to step in and play like a seasoned pro and ock down one side of the field was shortsighted and foolish.

Yeah, Conley showed some flashes in his very limited time on the field, but he’s still a rookie. And given his lack of time on the field this year, he’s likely going to play like a rookie next year too.

Given the very well documented regression of Sean Smith and David Amerson, the Raiders were going to need a lot more help in the secondary than Conley was going to be able to provide. And let’s not even get into the play of Dexter McDonald and Antonio Hamilton – neither of whom should even be on the practice squad next season.

In addition to a linebacker and a cornerback, the Raiders could have used another pass rusher and a safety. Reggie Nelson has been a train wreck in the defensive backfield since he put on a silver and black jersey, all too frequently out of position or getting torched by speedier receivers.

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And yet, despite all of the very pressing needs on the defensive side of the ball, McKenzie opted to go the fantasy football league route in free agency. Rather than adding some proven defenders who could help this defense improve, McKenzie went all in on offense.

Cordarrelle Patterson. Jared Cook. Marshawn Lynch.

All nice pieces to add to an offense, sure. But, did the Raiders really need them? Or the price tag that comes with them, given the other pressing needs this team has – a new mega-deal for All-Everything Khalil Mack top among them?

Has Jared Cook done anything for this team that Clive Walford (and even Mychal Rivera) didn’t do for the offense? Has Cordarrelle Patterson ignited the special teams in a way that Jalen Richard failed to do last year? And honestly, as great as he is in the community – and for the team’s PR – has Marshawn Lynch done anything that Latavius Murray didn’t do for this team last season?

The answer to all of those questions is, of course, a resounding no.

The money spent on those three players alone – over $13 million, according to OvertheCap.com – could have and should have been spent on Oakland’s other pressing areas of need. In other words, that money McKenzie threw out for superfluous players should have been thrown at defensive playmakers.

Oakland’s defense didn’t even need to be elite. Had the offense performed up to its capability, all that was required was a middle-of-the-road defense to help them make a postseason run. Or, if the defense had added some key players and became a very good unit, maybe they could have helped hold it down until the offense could get on track.

No matter which way you slice it though, McKenzie failed to give this team the pieces they needed to succeed, opting to beef up his fantasy lineup instead.

There is a lot of blame and recrimination to be passed around in the wake of this abysmal season. But, it’s important to note, that the man at the top of the food chain, the General Manager himself, should be getting a healthy dose of the outrage as well.

Though the players and the coaches deserve the rancor and vitriol being flung about from all corners of the Raider nation, it’s important that McKenzie get his fair share as well.

McKenzie needs to get his priorities straight this offseason, and look to shore up weaknesses, rather than try to go for the razzle dazzle, splashy signings. For, contrary to McKenzie’s apparent offseason philosophy last year, chicks don’t always like the long ball, and defenses do actually win championships.

Oh, and he should also probably stop trying to solve problems that don’t actually exist.

Like Del Rio, McKenzie should be given the opportunity to prove that 2017 was an aberration. Prove that the momentum they’ve been building since Del Rio took the helm, can be sustained. And prove that this team can return to the postseason in 2018.