Oakland Raiders: A few points to help cope with grief in a post-Mack world
By Kevin Saito
The Defense Will Be Fine Without Mack
One of the other things you hear most often, is that the Raiders are about to tank. That without Mack, they’re not going to even match the six wins they notched last season.
The idea that the team without Mack is circling the drain harder than they were with him is utter bollocks, of course. Last we checked, Mack wasn’t running the ball, throwing the ball, or catching the ball. He wasn’t kicking field goals, and extra points, and he wasn’t back in pass coverage (of course, given the way the Raiders have defended the pass in recent seasons, it’s fair to say nobody really was).
It’s an unpopular opinion, to be sure, but the Raiders defense will actually be fine without Khalil Mack.
The point is that despite the fact that he is a future Hall of Famer, and a generational talent, Mack is still one man, who can only do so much. To win football games, you need 53 guys, all pointed and running in the same direction.
Gruden and Guenther believe the defense will be good, still has plenty of talent, and scheme will cover for Mack’s absence.
And there’s actually ample reason to believe that.
As Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator (2014-17), Guenther fielded some impressive units. His old Bengals squads were tough, they forced a lot of turnovers, were aggressive, and racked up plenty of sacks.
And guess what? They never had a superstar like Khalil Mack.
It was Guenther’s schemes that helped enable guys like Geno Atkins, Michael Johnson, and Carlos Dunlap to become “star-ish” in the league. They’re guys who are solid, dependable, and have performed very well in Guenther’s system.
Next. Looking At The Pros And Cons Of Dealing Khalil Mack. dark
Guenther’s Bengals defenses were never filled with superstars (or very few, if any, real bona fide stars), but they were always aggressive and competitive. Oakland’s roster, as currently constructed, has as much, if not more talent, top to bottom, than he had in Cincinnati – which should yield positive results.
You never want to lose a top-tier, bona fide superstar like Khalil Mack. He’d only elevate the defense, and help take it higher. But, there is ample history to suggest, that under Guenther’s guidance, Oakland’s defense is going to not only be fine, but a lot better than it has been in a very long time.