The players know they have the worst coaching staff in the league. They know.
It's actually quite amazing they are still playing pretty hard. My guess is that since we mostly go for high character guys and have some quality vets and others that have been on good teams, there is a sense of pride that for now is overriding the urge to quit.
But I don't know how long that will last, and if MB doesn't see how much this staff sucks (and out of touch for today's NFL) and make changes in the offseason, I can't see that pride lasting next season barring some lucky streak. But in the long run it won't be successful, and surely won't take us anywhere because our system cannot compete and cannot consistently score 30-40-50 points.
The players also know they just lost to a team that didn't try. They saw it on film, the Raiders aren't trying, and didn't have their top 2 receivers (or 3 if you count Cooper). They had Seth Droperts and Cook, who somehow being the only threat to catch the ball, especially red zone, they left uncovered for their first TD. They lost to them.... at home. So we'll see what happens going forward.
Speaking of home... where once again the opposing teams fans made the most noise. Silver and black everywhere. Chants of 'Raiiiideeeerrrs' everywhere nearly constantly. I scored a ticket and watched it in section 135, and it was literally at least 75% Raiders fans. Looking around, the lower bowl was, in various sections, at best ~50/50...maybe a couple at 40/60, at worst, a few other sections were like mine. I couldn't see the upper deck behind me, but the other side, north side -was mostly raiders fans. It was bad. Walking around for concessions, mostly raiders fans. Where we parked, only raiders fans. On the walk, only raiders fans. Chanting non stop, boasting how it's an Oakland home game. It WAS an Oakland home game. Hell I missed our first TD because some Raider fan came up to me saying, these are our seats, I just bought them, and I was like, dude, that's section 136, next one over.
MB has to notice. It's all falling apart. Everything they built, it's eroding away and the dam is in the process of bursting.
On the offensive side, we saw last night in the KC vs LA game where the NFL is going (or rather, where it is firmly at). You create mismatches and confuse the defense, often times utilizing motion, stacks, etc. The teams doing this are the ones that are lighting it up. As many have said, all the rules are tilted towards the offense. Your offense is predicated on exploiting the defense through creativity down in and down out.
We have a QB that has the mental acumen to run such an offense because he can read a defense pre-snap and take advantage, we just need to put him in a system that allows, encourages, and gives him the tools for him to do it even better and more consistently. Then get the personnel to run it effectively.
We have to go against these Rams, McVay's system and Goff twice a year for the next decade or so. If we want to compete, we need to find a coach that can match and hopefully exceed that. In a sense that makes it easier because we can't hide from it. We can't say we'll only play a team like that once in a while, bury our head in the sand and do something else. They are in our division, and soon everyone is going to try to copycat. We need to take on that task head on. If we don't, we're just pissing into the wind as a franchise.
The NFL has changed, and we as a franchise need to align our coaching staff, front office, scouts, and ownership all on that task.
It's clear this coaching staff isn't up for it. The front office, scouts, and ownership all TBD.
We also better not dilly dally. Because other front offices know it too. We better come out swinging, know who we want, and back up the brinks truck to get him. The reports of the Giants being interested in Lincoln Riley is a shot across the bow. The coaching hires the past couple of years were too. They knew this is where it was at/going, and went after those coaches aggressively. Is our ownership and front office up to that task? If not, we're in trouble.
Now maybe they saw it too, but made a mistake in thinking they needed to get someone who could stop all that. After this season there should be no illusion. We need that or we can't compete, at least not for anything meaningful. We need it in a head coach, so he doesn't get poached either. At this point, it'll be rare for a DC to get poached, but a young OC? Of course, which is why we need it as a HC.
Finally, this is where it is at on the lower levels too. Literally high school players and coaches are running their offenses like this. This is the pipeline ahead. We better get on it, or we're not going to be able to compete. Evolve or be a perennial doormat. We're already years behind, we don't want to add more years to it.
