Raiders sign WR Willie Snead

[jimkelly02]

Back to the Actual topic at hand..... While I don’t think signing Snead is a major priority over addressing FA, OT, CB and we should be concentrating on that.... and I don’t think the result of signing Snead will rival signing Nelson Agholor, I still Moderately like the move.  

We added Brown to give us the speed and deep routes we lost from NA.  Now Snead gives us a very reliable hands WR for the short to intermediate routes.  He’s a pretty physical slot WR despite his size.  He IMO was held back by the Baltimore offense and clearly came to LV on a prove it deal hoping to rebound and benefit from Carr’s play and Gruden’s scheme.

While I don’t think We’ll see just under 900 yds+ 8 Tds from Snead, I do think he can give us 35-45 catches, 425-550 yds, and 4+ TDs.  Where I like him the most is the 15-30 yards out of the EZ range where he can find soft spots in coverage that are created by the attention paid to Waller.  He’s very good at slipping just over the top of the LBs But before the Safeties.  While he isn’t a speedster his physicality and style of route running is a nice compliment to Renfrow.  It’s not one of those perfect on paper complimentary players (ie a “big” Slot or A speedy slot) but their games differ enough that he brings something different while also Having enough similarities that they can be used interchangeably.

[Darbsk]

Oh no....... We're going WR at #17 I can feel it 😂

[Jeremy408]

12 minutes ago, jimkelly02 said:

Back to the Actual topic at hand..... While I don’t think signing Snead is a major priority over addressing FA, OT, CB and we should be concentrating on that.... and I don’t think the result of signing Snead will rival signing Nelson Agholor, I still Moderately like the move.  

We added Brown to give us the speed and deep routes we lost from NA.  Now Snead gives us a very reliable hands WR for the short to intermediate routes.  He’s a pretty physical slot WR despite his size.  He IMO was held back by the Baltimore offense and clearly came to LV on a prove it deal hoping to rebound and benefit from Carr’s play and Gruden’s scheme.

While I don’t think We’ll see just under 900 yds+ 8 Tds from Snead, I do think he can give us 35-45 catches, 425-550 yds, and 4+ TDs.  Where I like him the most is the 15-30 yards out of the EZ range where he can find soft spots in coverage that are created by the attention paid to Waller.  He’s very good at slipping just over the top of the LBs But before the Safeties.  While he isn’t a speedster his physicality and style of route running is a nice compliment to Renfrow.  It’s not one of those perfect on paper complimentary players (ie a “big” Slot or A speedy slot) but their games differ enough that he brings something different while also Having enough similarities that they can be used interchangeably.

The thing about Snead this is obviously going to benefit from being in conventional offense with a pocket passer. Gives us really good depth at worst.

[Frankie2Gunz]

1 hour ago, jimkelly02 said:

Back to the Actual topic at hand..... While I don’t think signing Snead is a major priority over addressing FA, OT, CB and we should be concentrating on that.... and I don’t think the result of signing Snead will rival signing Nelson Agholor, I still Moderately like the move.  

We added Brown to give us the speed and deep routes we lost from NA.  Now Snead gives us a very reliable hands WR for the short to intermediate routes.  He’s a pretty physical slot WR despite his size.  He IMO was held back by the Baltimore offense and clearly came to LV on a prove it deal hoping to rebound and benefit from Carr’s play and Gruden’s scheme.

While I don’t think We’ll see just under 900 yds+ 8 Tds from Snead, I do think he can give us 35-45 catches, 425-550 yds, and 4+ TDs.  Where I like him the most is the 15-30 yards out of the EZ range where he can find soft spots in coverage that are created by the attention paid to Waller.  He’s very good at slipping just over the top of the LBs But before the Safeties.  While he isn’t a speedster his physicality and style of route running is a nice compliment to Renfrow.  It’s not one of those perfect on paper complimentary players (ie a “big” Slot or A speedy slot) but their games differ enough that he brings something different while also Having enough similarities that they can be used interchangeably.

Not a bad depth signing I just don't get why we have not went after or signed a big/ physical/ high volume/ RZ threat WR.  We have Waller who is our only true threat in the RZ which limits what we can do there.  Opposing D coordinators know they can double him and our other WR's can rarely win in in tight spaces and do not excel on fades towards the corner due to lack of size and physicality. 

Look at the Steelers as a prime example of a team that drafts a nice blend of physical and speed guys.  They now have Claypool, Juju, Johnson and Washington.  That is a nice blend where we have Edwards and a bunch of shrimps.  My feeling is that our lack of size and physicality is one of the main reasons we stall out in the RZ. 

I hope Edwards can step in and fill that role but so far he has proven nothing but the skills are clearly there.  I also would not be opposed to taking a WR in the 2nd if T. Marshall somehow slips to us.  

Edited March 28, 2021 by Frankie2Gunz

[drfrey13]

1 hour ago, OnlyGlove said:

 

Gruden tore the Hooker pick in the draft.  Pick for need, too many injuries and can't tackle or play physical is what he said.   Doubt we'd go for him

Did not know that and that could very easily be why we have not gone after him or why he might not want to sign with us.  I personally think Gruden should have zero say on defensive personnel unless there is a non football issue or behavioral problem.  Gruden trusted Bradley enough to make him the DC so he should trust him enough to make his own player decisions.

[drfrey13]

8 minutes ago, Frankie2Gunz said:

Not a bad depth signing I just don't get why we have not went after or signed a big/ physical/ high volume/ RZ threat WR.  We have Waller who is our only true threat in the RZ which limits what we can do there.  Opposing D coordinators know they can double him and our other WR's can rarely win in in tight spaces and do not excel on fades towards the corner due to lack of size and physicality.  I hope Edwards can step in and fill that role but so far he has proven nothing.  

If the Snead contract is small enough that it just bumps a player off the bottom of the 51 and has little affect on our cap then it is a good depth signing.  If it wastes cap space we could use on areas of need I do not like the signing.  I am think they probably gave him a few million so I see this move as a waste of time and capital.

[BackinBlack]

19 hours ago, big_palooka said:

The team didn't have any KEY players to loose. Hudson was arguably the key player. Stallwart to the offense. 

The point is, they didn't make any KEY additions. Yannik is an A player, he'll have 8-10 sacks on a bad defense. The offense will be worse for shuffling their vet Oline. 

I dont understand how getting an A player at our arguably biggest position of need, is not a Key addition in your mind?

Especially when you factor in the fact that, great young players rarely hit the FA market, id say Yannik is about as big of a FA signing we could have got. 

He could falter out, as most of our FA do (i agree with you there), but, this time I love how we are doing short term 1 or 2 year deals. Sucks that players dont just come to the Raiders motivated by themselves, but these short term deals, IMO show that the player is also betting on themselves to earn a bigger contract in the future. 

that being said, if our O regresses at all I dont see our D getting us into the playoffs. 
We need top 10 O, and hoping for 23-25th ranked D. which is probably a big hope. 

[Frankie2Gunz]

6 minutes ago, drfrey13 said:

If the Snead contract is small enough that it just bumps a player off the bottom of the 51 and has little affect on our cap then it is a good depth signing.  If it wastes cap space we could use on areas of need I do not like the signing.  I am think they probably gave him a few million so I see this move as a waste of time and capital.

If that is the case then I agree.  I was thinking it was a vet min. signing but I haven't confirmed.  Anything above that or as you say wastes cap space then I agree that I really don't see the point.  He is a 4th/5th WR at best.

[drfrey13]

3 minutes ago, BackinBlack said:

I dont understand how getting an A player at our arguably biggest position of need, is not a Key addition in your mind?

Especially when you factor in the fact that, great young players rarely hit the FA market, id say Yannik is about as big of a FA signing we could have got. 

He could falter out, as most of our FA do (i agree with you there), but, this time I love how we are doing short term 1 or 2 year deals. Sucks that players dont just come to the Raiders motivated by themselves, but these short term deals, IMO show that the player is also betting on themselves to earn a bigger contract in the future. 

that being said, if our O regresses at all I dont see our D getting us into the playoffs. 
We need top 10 O, and hoping for 23-25th ranked D. which is probably a big hope. 

Yannick is a good addition and for the price one of the best in the league this year.  The only drawback is it was not a big position of need.  At the beginning of FA we all knew that the biggest needs were FS and DT.  Heath and Hurst were the only 2 players at those positions and we still have not added a starter to either position and you could argue that they (Hurst at 3T) are still the best players at those positions.  We are not the only team signing players to short term contracts.  In fact most signings have been short term contracts which I said they would be before FA began.  You are right that our defense will not get us to the playoffs because we have done very little to make it better.  Until we sign a starting level FS and 3T we are going to suck on defense.

[NYRaider]

42 minutes ago, Frankie2Gunz said:

Look at the Steelers as a prime example of a team that drafts a nice blend of physical and speed guys.  They now have Claypool, Juju, Johnson and Washington.  That is a nice blend where we have Edwards and a bunch of shrimps.  My feeling is that our lack of size and physicality is one of the main reasons we stall out in the RZ. 

The Steelers red zone offense was almost identical to ours in terms of production. 

Steelers: 33 TD in 52 red zone visits

Raiders: 32 TD in 59 red zone visits 

[NYRaider]

1 hour ago, Darbsk said:

Oh no....... We're going WR at #17 I can feel it 😂

Trade up for Kyle Pitts.

[jimkelly02]

12 minutes ago, drfrey13 said:

Yannick is a good addition and for the price one of the best in the league this year.  The only drawback is it was not a big position of need.  At the beginning of FA we all knew that the biggest needs were FS and DT.  Heath and Hurst were the only 2 players at those positions and we still have not added a starter to either position and you could argue that they (Hurst at 3T) are still the best players at those positions.  We are not the only team signing players to short term contracts.  In fact most signings have been short term contracts which I said they would be before FA began.  You are right that our defense will not get us to the playoffs because we have done very little to make it better.  Until we sign a starting level FS and 3T we are going to suck on defense.

I’d argue that LEO was a big position of need, but this board didn’t think so. Leo Is a foundational position to this defense and we didn’t have one.  I like Crosby a lot but he isn’t a perfect Leo for this defense.  It’d work but wasn’t ideal.  GB went out and got his Leo and built the rest of the DL and will eventually build the entire defense around the DL.

i think we more than adequately addressed DT.  I think we’ll find a long term 3T next year after seeing what these guys have. 

[drfrey13]

5 minutes ago, jimkelly02 said:

I’d argue that LEO was a big position of need, but this board didn’t think so. Leo Is a foundational position to this defense and we didn’t have one.  I like Crosby a lot but he isn’t a perfect Leo for this defense.  It’d work but wasn’t ideal.  GB went out and got his Leo and built the rest of the DL and will eventually build the entire defense around the DL.

i think we more than adequately addressed DT.  I think we’ll find a long term 3T next year after seeing what these guys have. 

Who is the starter at 3T?  This is my problem.  we gave guaranteed money to players but none of the are starters.  We have some hope and potential but that is it.  Jefferson is probably the best and we hope that he failed in Buffalo because of the scheme but it is still hope.  Crosby is a better LEO than Irving, Jefferson, Philon, and Thomas are at 3T.  Some might have more potential but none have shown in the last few years that they are better.  We should all know by now that our pass rush is going to suck until we get some push up the middle.  We have been watching the past few years as opposing QBs have had an easy time avoiding the rushers on the outside.

[NYRaider]

8 minutes ago, jimkelly02 said:

I’d argue that LEO was a big position of need, but this board didn’t think so. Leo Is a foundational position to this defense and we didn’t have one.  I like Crosby a lot but he isn’t a perfect Leo for this defense.  It’d work but wasn’t ideal.  GB went out and got his Leo and built the rest of the DL and will eventually build the entire defense around the DL.

i think we more than adequately addressed DT.  I think we’ll find a long term 3T next year after seeing what these guys have. 

IIRC Crosby has played primarily RDE and Yannick has played primarily LDE. We'll use them both on the field together during passing downs. 

The DT market was extremely scarce in free agency this year. I just like the fact that Mayock and Gruden learned from their mistake last year when they penciled in Collins as the starter at 3T and called him the key to the defense. This year we brought in 4 guys in Thomas, Irving, Jefferson, and Philon on 1 year deals to compete for the spot. 

[Frankie2Gunz]

19 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

The Steelers red zone offense was almost identical to ours in terms of production. 

Steelers: 33 TD in 52 red zone visits

Raiders: 32 TD in 59 red zone visits 

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/red-zone-scoring-pct

Pit was 8th in RZ efficiency (TD only) and we were ranked 23rd.  That is a massive difference.  

Edited March 28, 2021 by Frankie2Gunz