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State of our team

Rolni

By Rolni
in Las Vegas Raiders

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Humble_Beast

Humble_Beast

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Posted
3 hours ago, Rolni said:

We should bump this thread IMO.

 

Carr and Gruden seem to finally figured out each other...better later then never right? 

Carr seems to be more comfortable in the system, he seems to be better in the pocket, he seems to be better at handling the pressure in his face. Maybe the Cable led disaster will benefit him on the long run.

On defense we finally also seem to find some guys, who can actually excell in our scheme.

Let's have a look at our roster and state of each position:

 

QB: Carr, McCarron

I start to feel good about Carr again. He is definately a keeper for 2019 and the way he plays and acts lately we might still have our franchise QB afterall. McCarron could stick as his back up.

 

RB: Martin, Richard, Washington

Martin surprised me after Lynch went down. He plays pretty well for us IMO and could make a good case for another year in Silver&Black. Richard is a great weapon in this scheme his RFA tender is a no brainer. Washington could stick till TC, but I can't really see him making the final team next year. We should bring in Warren and another rookie to compete hard for that #3 spot with Washington. I could definately live with a Martin, Richard, Warren/rookie trio for 2019.

 

FB: Smith

He is a solid ST guy and can block some too, so probably he will be back. 

 

WR: Nelson, Roberts, Ateman, Hatcher, Harris, Bryant (IR)

I like how Nelson plays recently, so with our cap space I would bring him back if he is dedicated for another year. Roberts starts to play better lately and while I still think his 2019 salary is too much, he could be back on a reworked deal. I won't be mad if we simply move on, but I would like to see the better guys on roster before we move on. Ateman is a keeper for 2019, who could be a really solid rotational guy as a big WR. Hatcher can be back for TC, but can't really see him making the team. I would like to see us moving on from Harris and upgrade the returner position with speed and youth. I would like to see Bryant back on a low risk free deal, becasue his size and speed would be welcomed if he got down th playbook and build some chemistry with Carr.

 

TE: Cook, Smith, Carrier, Waller

Cook is our best recieving weapon even with his 5 drops. We need to bring him back IMO. Smith is a reliable blocker and teammate, he is a keeper. Carrier is a good ST player and finally we saw what he can do in the passing game. He is a keeper too IMO. Waller could stick around till TC easily.

 

OT: Miller, Parker, Sharpe, Murray, Good, Penn

Miller and Parker will stay for sure. They rest could be easily gone, especially if we get a new OL coach (which is a must IMO). Both of them could/should benefit big time from a full offseason, but even then I would like to see a reliable veteran option for a swing role or for only RT role to really push Parker. With his play this season we shouldn't just hand him the job IMO. Miller at least showed some ability to keep Carr alive, he "just" needs to get stronger and healthy.

 

OG: KO, Jackson, Feliciano, Kirkland, Hunt, Green

Our OG play was pretty bad most of the year. Part of it is both KO and Gabe being injured quite a bit, part of it is Cable and his scheme. We need a new OL coach and after his arrival we need a serious evaluation at OG. KO and Gabe would earn 10 and 7 M, which is some serious money for interior OL guys. We should only keep them if we feel that they can return to dominant form. Feliciano is a keeper in my books, since he can play OG and OC, showed toughness and he played similary to KO in this scheme. Obviously we shouldn't compete with a strong starter money, but I doubt he will get that from anywhere. We need OG help for sure and we need serious help if we move on from KO and/or Gabe.

 

OC: Hudson

One of the best OC's in the game, even under Cable and his mess of a system. He is a keeper for sure.

 

NT: Hankins, Jelly

I like what I saw from Big Hank, so I would like to bring him back. His price tag could be an issue, but hopefully we can keep him. I would keep Jelly as well, since we have the room for it and we need to field a strong front finally. 

 

DT: Hurst, Hall, McDonald, Vanderdoes (IR)

Hurst and Hall will be back obviously. McDonald was used more as a base run stopping DE, ideally we let him walk away. Vanderdoes is an interesting option, we shall see how he can come back. With this strong DT class, I can see us moving on from Eddie easily.

Wildcard option at DT/NT is to move Hall at NT behind, next to Hankins or Jelly and bring in a new guy to rotate with Hurst... 

 

DE: Key, Rucker, Calhoun (IR), Moore, Ealy

We need multiple new faces at DE. I would keep Key and possibly Calhoun around and focus on the DE spot in FA and in the draft. I would like to see us getting a quality starting DE via FA and then get at least one EDGE guy early in the draft. After a full offseason I can see Key being better as a base end with more strenght, so we could use the rookie truly as a pass rush specialist.

 

LB: Whithead, Lee, Cabinda, Morrow, Wilber, Lamur

The way Whithead plays since the 2nd LAC game we should probably keep him as our WLB. It's weird to write it down after the first half of the season, but actually plays pretty well lately IMO. Lee looks like a solid option at SLB, where he is a 2 down run stopper basically. Ideally we can upgrade the spot and keep Lee as a back up and ST guy, but if we can just bring in depth behind/next to him we could be alright especially with the amount of nickel we play. Cabinda and Morrow rotate a lot at MLB lately with Cabinda showing more promise. Ideally we bring in a veteran starter and keep Cabinda as depth, back up at MLB and move Morrow at WLB to back Tahir up. If we go the rookie way at MLB, we could use Cabinda early on or in rotation and still survive IMO. Wilber is ST only, who could be back if the ST unit needs him, while Lamur is gone IMO.

 

CB: Conley, Melvin, Worley, Nelson, Benwikere, Meander, Hall (IR)

Conley looks like a #1 lately which is great news. Melvin and Worley works solid as a rotation at #2 most of the time, but ideally we can upgrade the #2 spot via FA. I would definately keep Nelson around even after his struggles this year, since he is just a rookie. Hall should retire IMO, while Benwikere and Meander are more like camp bodies to me. We should tender Worley to see where he goes with a full offseason and try to bring back Melvin on a solid deal or go after a guy like Dennard in FA. He knows PG and his system, he can play inside or outside, so could form a really nice trio with Conley and Worley. Nelson could sit and learn, while playing some as #4 and we could draft, sign a couple of rookies.

 

S: Karl, Marcus, Erik, Reggie (IR)

Karl recently plays like a first rounder IMO, so he should stay and get a chance to win one of the starting jobs. Marcus and Reggie should be on their way out, since they don't have the speed for this game anymore. Harris should get a tender and stay as ST guy and back up S. I would like to see us going after a quality S in free agency and then draft one somewhere too.

 

K: Carlson

The kid looks pretty good to me. We could bring back Pineiro to have a solid competiton, but if we need the roster spot for another battle I would be ok with just Carlson.

 

P: Townsend

He needs serious competition IMO, even after he showed some life recently. He can kick it well from time to time, but he needs to be much more consistent if he wants to be on an active roster next year. 

 

 

We should have quite an offseason guys. New GM, hopefully new OL coach, lots of FA movement and lots of draft picks. Hopefully it won't be just interesting, but also a good one.

great breakdown... I agree with just about everything, but we omitted Marshawn Lynch... if he wanted to come back for cheap, don't see the harm in bringing him back one more year

 

Priority upgrades in free agency or draft

  • WR
  • RT
  • DE x2
  • MLB
  • S x2 - most teams have 3 good safeties 

Could use vets for competition or depth

  • RB
  • G
  • DL
  • LB
  • CB  

Bring back

  • Lynch and Martin
  • J Cook
  • Hankins
  • Melvin
  • Worely 
  • Bryant
  • Carlson
  • all the ERFA and Restricted FA

 

 

 

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Darbsk

Darbsk

Posted
Posted
23 hours ago, Rolni said:

We should bump this thread IMO.

 

Carr and Gruden seem to finally figured out each other...better later then never right? 

Carr seems to be more comfortable in the system, he seems to be better in the pocket, he seems to be better at handling the pressure in his face. Maybe the Cable led disaster will benefit him on the long run.

On defense we finally also seem to find some guys, who can actually excell in our scheme.

Let's have a look at our roster and state of each position:

 

We should have quite an offseason guys. New GM, hopefully new OL coach, lots of FA movement and lots of draft picks. Hopefully it won't be just interesting, but also a good one.

Another good post Rolni! I pretty much agree with all of this but would add one or two things:

OT:  I'd add at least 1 vet and a mid or lower round draft pick plus I'd also try and retain Penn as the RT while the youngsters battle it out. If Penn wants to play and can still play at a solid level it allows us to focus draft capital elsewhere. If Penn retires then we may have to rethink and spend more draft capital on a RT or go after a vet starting option.

Interior OL:  Has proven to be elite and none are what I'd call old, we have to get these guys in a system which brings out the best of them, I'm worried we might break this unit up to force a ZBS system in place and then we'll have the find a couple new guards, taking what should be a strength to a weakness. Sure, we'll save some money but I hope we don't go this route. IMO KO/Hudson/Gabe are much, much more proven than Cable so I'd find a coach that fits rather than the other way round.

DT/NT:  I haven't really been that impressed by Hankins, he had a pretty big reputation last year but I think Ellis has looked the better player. If he'll sign as a backup I'd keep him but he'd have to take a team friendly deal otherwise I'd rotate in Vanderdoes or Hall who i think could do the job too albeit with a bit more pass rush. It's projection right now for those two of course. I think Hall could be a special player if we have a bit of patience with him.........a NT who can also rush the passer and we haven't had that since Big Chester. 

DE:  Should be our big ticket FA, which is cringe worthy after letting an All Pro go >:(. We desperately need some help here and I'd spend a top draft pick on a DE too if one is in reach and we think he's a Pro bowl calibre player. We have basically 1 rotational pass rusher in Key at the moment and a couple of backups who frighten no-one.

 

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Rolni

Rolni

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1 hour ago, Darbsk said:

Another good post Rolni! I pretty much agree with all of this but would add one or two things:

OT:  I'd add at least 1 vet and a mid or lower round draft pick plus I'd also try and retain Penn as the RT while the youngsters battle it out. If Penn wants to play and can still play at a solid level it allows us to focus draft capital elsewhere. If Penn retires then we may have to rethink and spend more draft capital on a RT or go after a vet starting option.

Interior OL:  Has proven to be elite and none are what I'd call old, we have to get these guys in a system which brings out the best of them, I'm worried we might break this unit up to force a ZBS system in place and then we'll have the find a couple new guards, taking what should be a strength to a weakness. Sure, we'll save some money but I hope we don't go this route. IMO KO/Hudson/Gabe are much, much more proven than Cable so I'd find a coach that fits rather than the other way round.

DT/NT:  I haven't really been that impressed by Hankins, he had a pretty big reputation last year but I think Ellis has looked the better player. If he'll sign as a backup I'd keep him but he'd have to take a team friendly deal otherwise I'd rotate in Vanderdoes or Hall who i think could do the job too albeit with a bit more pass rush. It's projection right now for those two of course. I think Hall could be a special player if we have a bit of patience with him.........a NT who can also rush the passer and we haven't had that since Big Chester. 

DE:  Should be our big ticket FA, which is cringe worthy after letting an All Pro go >:(. We desperately need some help here and I'd spend a top draft pick on a DE too if one is in reach and we think he's a Pro bowl calibre player. We have basically 1 rotational pass rusher in Key at the moment and a couple of backups who frighten no-one.

 

Thanks and even bigger thanks for the comments!

 

I'm not sure about Penn with him going to IR in back to back seasons. I mean can we count on his body and health? I would probably go after a proven RT to give Parker a serious run for the job and maybe bring back Penn as Miller's back up for a reduced salary. Maybe in a limited role he can still stay healthy and his presence in the locker room could be positive, if he is on board with the back up role...If we can find a solid young back up behind Miller, then I would move on from Penn easily...

I get what you say with the OG's. I want Cable gone big time and I think a new OL coach could tailor this ZBS-PBS mix Gruden wants to run in a way where we can use those guys well. Let's see who comes in as OL coach and then let's see how healthy these 2 can be for us. If Cable stays it makes no sense to pay top dollars for them sadly, because Cable will mess it up anyway...

As I stated, I can see Hall in a rotational NT role as well. Vanderdoes after another knee surgery might be also a fit at NT, since probably his speed, quickness won't be enough for 3T. With that said Hankins on a solid deal looks good to me.

DE has to be the focal point of this offseason. If we can land a quality starter and an early rookie we should have a solid rotation with them, Key and Calhoun IMO...and we could field that hole group for the salary of one Mack, which has to be the reason we delt him away...

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Darbsk

Darbsk

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2 minutes ago, Rolni said:

Thanks and even bigger thanks for the comments!

 

I'm not sure about Penn with him going to IR in back to back seasons. I mean can we count on his body and health? I would probably go after a proven RT to give Parker a serious run for the job and maybe bring back Penn as Miller's back up for a reduced salary. Maybe in a limited role he can still stay healthy and his presence in the locker room could be positive, if he is on board with the back up role...If we can find a solid young back up behind Miller, then I would move on from Penn easily...

I get what you say with the OG's. I want Cable gone big time and I think a new OL coach could tailor this ZBS-PBS mix Gruden wants to run in a way where we can use those guys well. Let's see who comes in as OL coach and then let's see how healthy these 2 can be for us. If Cable stays it makes no sense to pay top dollars for them sadly, because Cable will mess it up anyway...

As I stated, I can see Hall in a rotational NT role as well. Vanderdoes after another knee surgery might be also a fit at NT, since probably his speed, quickness won't be enough for 3T. With that said Hankins on a solid deal looks good to me.

DE has to be the focal point of this offseason. If we can land a quality starter and an early rookie we should have a solid rotation with them, Key and Calhoun IMO...and we could field that hole group for the salary of one Mack, which has to be the reason we delt him away...

 

Yep, it's a tricky one with Penn, I think we probably rushed him back from last years injury and then obviously changing sides is difficult too and put a strain on him but prior to that he was really consistent, healthy and as far as I can tell loved playing here. Maybe he's just done and we move on but I'd try to at least bring him back for camp to see if he's got anything left, it's really hurt us this year starting two very raw rookies. I think Miller will work out as at least a solid LT but I'd like to have someone with experience backing him up like Penn also just in case he goes down as he has struggled at times with injury this year. I'd still bring in competition aswell as you said.

One thing I omitted is that I think Marshawn still has something left in the tank so I'd probably look to bring him back too, he's still breaking tackles and running with violence. I don't see that many really good options out there otherwise, maybe Ajayi. I still think a really good RB can help the QB tremendously and they are still underrated even with the boost guys like Elliot, Barkley, Gurley and Johnson have given to their teams very evident.

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riceman80

riceman80

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Top 3 for me would be DE, MLB, and RB

My top 10 in order...

Stud DE, 3 down MLB, workhorse RB, centerfield FS, perimeter WR, RT, base DE, athletic WLB, speed WR, #2 CB with press ability

I can live with Martin as a backup but he's not starting material. He doesnt create yards, just gets what he's given pretty much

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