Just Win Baby (Again)

Back in 1998, the Oakland Raiders hired a 34 year old assistant coach with the idea that he would lead them back to Super Bowl contention.  The Raiders have not had a double digit win season since 1993 and were betting that this young mind could get them winning quickly.

By his third season in Oakland, Jon Gruden had the Raiders as a title contender as they posted a 12-4 record in 2000.  They 2001 season would be another playoff season for the Raiders that would ultimately end at the hands of the New England Patriots and the infamous "tuck rule".

Gruden was on to Tampa Bay via trade for the 2002 season where he won the Buccaneers first and only Super Bowl in franchise history.  By 2008 and at the age of 45, Jon Gruden was done as an NFL coach.  At least that's what it looked like as the years went by and Gruden's status as a sports media star grew.

Jon Gruden is now back in the NFL in the place where his head coaching career began.  Tasked with getting the Raiders franchise back on track after a disappointing 2017, Gruden has tools to work with that he didn't have during his first stop in Oakland.

A healthy Derek Carr at quarterback gives Gruden a young franchise signal caller that he's never had as a head coach.  Gruden does carry a reputation that he's never been interested in dealing with the headaches of young quarterback development.  In the case of Carr, he's a talented and accomplished player who will only be 27 year old this season.  Keeping Carr healthy after his 2016 season was ended by injury and 2017 dogged by them needs to be the emphasis.

What would go well in keeping Carr upright would be the return of a solid running game.  A year after having the 6th ranked rushing offense in the NFL, that number fell to 25th as the Raiders could not generate consistent ground attack.  

A better running game would also do more to keep the defense off of the field.  The team fell to 25th in terms of time of possession this past season after being top 10 in that statistics in 2016.  For a defense that will need time to improve, playing less plays would be idea. The Raiders hold the 10th overall pick and are expected to focus their efforts on front seven defensive players.

There are a lot of right answers in Oakland.  This is not a total rebuild.  But Jon Gruden and his hefty new contract will be expected to perform immediately in 2018.

Offensive Ranking: 17th

Defensive Ranking: 23rd

Key Free Agents:  

Reggie Nelson - FS - Struggled in coverage last season despite recording 89 tackles.

Denico Autry - LB - The 27 year proved he could be solid as a rotational pass rusher.  Recorded a career high five sacks last season.

Sebastian Janikowski - K - Lost his 2017 season due to a back injury that he could not bounce back from.

Navorro Bowman - LB - Stepped on the field for the Raiders and immediately became one of their better linebackers.  Recorded 127 tackles last season.

EJ Manuel - QB - A backup with skills that can keep a team afloat if the starter is lost for a short period of time.

TJ Carrie - CB - A solid slot cornerback who played well in 2017.  

Potential Cuts/Restructures:  

David Amerson - CB - Missed the final nine games of the season with a foot injury.  When Amerson was on the field, his coverage was sketchy at best.  Cap savings: $6M

Sean Smith - CB - Given his late season play he may have saved his roster spot for 2018.  But possibly moving on from Smith is attractive given the cap space that would become available. Cap savings: $8.5M