Scary thought: my prediction

[101Raider]

So just had a scary thought about this offseason plan, because despite what it looks like, you know Gruden and Mayock had to have gone into the offseason with some sort of plan.   I can't imagine that they've just been willy nilly without one..   The more I think about it, the more likely it sounds to me and it worries me.

What if: Bradley was selected specifically because he convinced Gruden (and to a lesser extent Mayock) that he could take our defense almost AS IS to being a respectable one...  (in my words: "league average."  He was hired with the caveat that he wants pieces on the Defensive Line.  It's no secret that Gruden is all about the offense, so Gruden is given carte blanche to  continue to tinker with his offense.

Hear me out, on defense Bradely comes on board with the plan to revamp the defensive line as his primary concern.  We already have 1 "decent" pass rusher (Crosby), a high draft pick base end to play his 5T (Ferrill) and a whole lot of garbage inside.  So he goes out and gets a premium edge rusher in Ngakou for the other side.  He bargin bin shops and gets what 7 DTs to pick and choose his guys.

At LB, he feels his simplified defense will bring out the best in Littleton, despite his poor season last year.  Kwiatowski though upgradeable, was more than serviceable.  Morrow slots in as the SLB for better or worse.

At DB, we have on paper players that could have sold Bradley with him thinking he could resurrect  his vaulted "Legion of Boom" (NOT MY BELIEF).  With the thought that an improved pass rush, our DBs will certainly improve.  We have Mullen who is a decent CB and a former 1st Round 2nd year CB at the other position (disregard what we as fans think, the  Raider's Think Tank I'm sure sees/saw promise in Arnette and are not giving up on him in year two, post COVID.  We also have a Bradley's mini Chancellor in Abrams (again not my belief) and supposedly Mayock was pre draft comparing Joseph to Earl Thomas.  

 

On the offensive side, in a very Offensive line heavy draft, Gruden and Mayock decide to jettison Brown due to his lack of availability and motivation.  Jackson is considered a casualty as his contract didn't necessarily warrant keeping him around when Good came in last year with little downgrade in play.  They also considered that we have Simpson waiting in the wings. 

Hudson I think was unexpected...  reportedly he asked for a trade,  I'm guessing seeing his whole right side disappear didn't sit well with him.

Gruden went out and spent money on WRs and a RB this off season.  I don't like the Drake signing, but I'm guessing this is what they drafted Lynn Bowden to be last year, which obviously didn't work out.

My guess is we go heavy O-line this draft and allocate very little to defense unless a stud falls (like Parsons).  Mayock and Gruden went into the offseason to shed the heavy o-line contracts, get younger and even more physical upfront.  

Again, this wouldn't be my plan, but it's what I think the Raiders are thinking...  

[101Raider]

3 minutes ago, 101Raider said:

 

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by 101Raider
Double post

[Jeremy408]

4 minutes ago, 101Raider said:

So just had a scary thought about this offseason plan, because despite what it looks like, you know Gruden and Mayock had to have gone into the offseason with some sort of plan.   I can't imagine that they've just been willy nilly without one..   The more I think about it, the more likely it sounds to me and it worries me.

What if: Bradley was selected specifically because he convinced Gruden (and to a lesser extent Mayock) that he could take our defense almost AS IS to being a respectable one...  (in my words: "league average."  He was hired with the caveat that he wants pieces on the Defensive Line.  It's no secret that Gruden is all about the offense, so Gruden is given carte blanche to  continue to tinker with his offense.

Hear me out, on defense Bradely comes on board with the plan to revamp the defensive line as his primary concern.  We already have 1 "decent" pass rusher (Crosby), a high draft pick base end to play his 5T (Ferrill) and a whole lot of garbage inside.  So he goes out and gets a premium edge rusher in Ngakou for the other side.  He bargin bin shops and gets what 7 DTs to pick and choose his guys.

At LB, he feels his simplified defense will bring out the best in Littleton, despite his poor season last year.  Kwiatowski though upgradeable, was more than serviceable.  Morrow slots in as the SLB for better or worse.

At DB, we have on paper players that could have sold Bradley with him thinking he could resurrect  his vaulted "Legion of Boom" (NOT MY BELIEF).  With the thought that an improved pass rush, our DBs will certainly improve.  We have Mullen who is a decent CB and a former 1st Round 2nd year CB at the other position (disregard what we as fans think, the  Raider's Think Tank I'm sure sees/saw promise in Arnette and are not giving up on him in year two, post COVID.  We also have a Bradley's mini Chancellor in Abrams (again not my belief) and supposedly Mayock was pre draft comparing Joseph to Earl Thomas.  

 

On the offensive side, in a very Offensive line heavy draft, Gruden and Mayock decide to jettison Brown due to his lack of availability and motivation.  Jackson is considered a casualty as his contract didn't necessarily warrant keeping him around when Good came in last year with little downgrade in play.  They also considered that we have Simpson waiting in the wings. 

Hudson I think was unexpected...  reportedly he asked for a trade,  I'm guessing seeing his whole right side disappear didn't sit well with him.

Gruden went out and spent money on WRs and a RB this off season.  I don't like the Drake signing, but I'm guessing this is what they drafted Lynn Bowden to be last year, which obviously didn't work out.

My guess is we go heavy O-line this draft and allocate very little to defense unless a stud falls (like Parsons).  Mayock and Gruden went into the offseason to shed the heavy o-line contracts, get younger and even more physical upfront.  

Again, this wouldn't be my plan, but it's what I think the Raiders are thinking...  

You're not wrong. I can definitely see all of that being the case. But if Micah Parsons is there I don't think they pass on him. How will he be there is a completely different question entirely.

[NYRaider]

15 minutes ago, 101Raider said:

My guess is we go heavy O-line this draft and allocate very little to defense unless a stud falls (like Parsons).  Mayock and Gruden went into the offseason to shed the heavy o-line contracts, get younger and even more physical upfront.  

Again, this wouldn't be my plan, but it's what I think the Raiders are thinking...  

It was a pretty weak defensive tackle class in free agency and we brought in a bunch of guys with upside to compete for playing time. We also signed one of the best pass rushers in free agency in Yannick. And we just paid Littleton/Kwit last off-season and brought back Morrow, all 3 who should fit better in Bradley's scheme. The secondary is what worries me the most, outside of Mullen who has been above average, we really don't have anyone that has proven to be a good NFL player/starter. 

But for better or worse we've spent 1st round picks on Ferrell, Abram, and Arnette as well as mid-round picks on Crosby, Robertson, Johnson, and Muse. If the guys we've invested high draft picks into can't develop then we're going to be screwed defensively, but that's the case for any team in the league. 

[BayRaider]

I wouldn’t be mad with RT at all, especially it’s Darrisaw who I like a lot. 
 

RT is extremely important position, that both won us games, and also lost us games last year. Crucial position. OT is also a position where it’s rare to find a starter after the first 40 picks or so. 
 

Also, one of the other major reasons to draft Darrisaw:

 

- Moehrig is solid, but Grant and Holland are not huge drop offs in the 2nd Round. 
 

- 1st Round CB class sucks... really sucks. Farley is great, but with those injuries, I’d probably pass. Surtain is way too boom or bust for me, and Horn is one of the most overrated prospects in this class. 
 

- No DT’s worth a 1st Round Pick. 
 

- JOK is pretty over hyped, I don’t think he’s worth pick #17, especially over a starting RT. 

[Darbsk]

19 minutes ago, 101Raider said:

So just had a scary thought about this offseason plan, because despite what it looks like, you know Gruden and Mayock had to have gone into the offseason with some sort of plan.   I can't imagine that they've just been willy nilly without one..   The more I think about it, the more likely it sounds to me and it worries me.

What if: Bradley was selected specifically because he convinced Gruden (and to a lesser extent Mayock) that he could take our defense almost AS IS to being a respectable one...  (in my words: "league average."  He was hired with the caveat that he wants pieces on the Defensive Line.  It's no secret that Gruden is all about the offense, so Gruden is given carte blanche to  continue to tinker with his offense.

Hear me out, on defense Bradely comes on board with the plan to revamp the defensive line as his primary concern.  We already have 1 "decent" pass rusher (Crosby), a high draft pick base end to play his 5T (Ferrill) and a whole lot of garbage inside.  So he goes out and gets a premium edge rusher in Ngakou for the other side.  He bargin bin shops and gets what 7 DTs to pick and choose his guys.

At LB, he feels his simplified defense will bring out the best in Littleton, despite his poor season last year.  Kwiatowski though upgradeable, was more than serviceable.  Morrow slots in as the SLB for better or worse.

At DB, we have on paper players that could have sold Bradley with him thinking he could resurrect  his vaulted "Legion of Boom" (NOT MY BELIEF).  With the thought that an improved pass rush, our DBs will certainly improve.  We have Mullen who is a decent CB and a former 1st Round 2nd year CB at the other position (disregard what we as fans think, the  Raider's Think Tank I'm sure sees/saw promise in Arnette and are not giving up on him in year two, post COVID.  We also have a Bradley's mini Chancellor in Abrams (again not my belief) and supposedly Mayock was pre draft comparing Joseph to Earl Thomas.  

 

On the offensive side, in a very Offensive line heavy draft, Gruden and Mayock decide to jettison Brown due to his lack of availability and motivation.  Jackson is considered a casualty as his contract didn't necessarily warrant keeping him around when Good came in last year with little downgrade in play.  They also considered that we have Simpson waiting in the wings. 

Hudson I think was unexpected...  reportedly he asked for a trade,  I'm guessing seeing his whole right side disappear didn't sit well with him.

Gruden went out and spent money on WRs and a RB this off season.  I don't like the Drake signing, but I'm guessing this is what they drafted Lynn Bowden to be last year, which obviously didn't work out.

My guess is we go heavy O-line this draft and allocate very little to defense unless a stud falls (like Parsons).  Mayock and Gruden went into the offseason to shed the heavy o-line contracts, get younger and even more physical upfront.  

Again, this wouldn't be my plan, but it's what I think the Raiders are thinking...  

Good post, plenty of food for thought. I don't necessarily buy into everything you posit and I think some things we did weren't pre planned so much but I think you may be onto something in that most of us are reasonably expecting a defence heavy draft and we may well be scratching our heads once again and trying to justify and rationalise our draft picks in a few weeks time 😁

[Jeremy408]

7 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

It was a pretty weak defensive tackle class in free agency and we brought in a bunch of guys with upside to compete for playing time. We also signed one of the best pass rushers in free agency in Yannick. And we just paid Littleton/Kwit last off-season and brought back Morrow, all 3 who should fit better in Bradley's scheme. The secondary is what worries me the most, outside of Mullen who has been above average, we really don't have anyone that has proven to be a good NFL player/starter. 

But for better or worse we've spent 1st round picks on Ferrell, Abram, and Arnette as well as mid-round picks on Crosby, Robertson, Johnson, and Muse. If the guys we've invested high draft picks into can't develop then we're going to be screwed defensively, but that's the case for any team in the league. 

You can't really put it better than that. That's basically the situation in a nutshell. It's all based on do the high investments pan out with better coaching.

[NYRaider]

4 minutes ago, BayRaider said:

RT is extremely important position, that both won us games, and also lost us games last year. Crucial position. OT is also a position where it’s rare to find a starter after the first 40 picks or so. 

It's also hard to find rookie OT's that are plug-n-play and actually play well. 

[MrOaktown_56]

7 minutes ago, BayRaider said:

I wouldn’t be mad with RT at all, especially it’s Darrisaw who I like a lot. 
 

RT is extremely important position, that both won us games, and also lost us games last year. Crucial position. OT is also a position where it’s rare to find a starter after the first 40 picks or so. 
 

Also, one of the other major reasons to draft Darrisaw:

 

- Moehrig is solid, but Grant and Holland are not huge drop offs in the 2nd Round. 
 

- 1st Round CB class sucks... really sucks. Farley is great, but with those injuries, I’d probably pass. Surtain is way too boom or bust for me, and Horn is one of the most overrated prospects in this class. 
 

- No DT’s worth a 1st Round Pick. 
 

- JOK is pretty over hyped, I don’t think he’s worth pick #17, especially over a starting RT. 

Yeah RT is a VERY important position and there are not a lot of off the ball linebackers who can provide 1st round value in a loaded LB class for me.

[BayRaider]

1 minute ago, NYRaider said:

It's also hard to find rookie OT's that are plug-n-play and actually play well. 

True, only for sure plug and play is Sewell, but if anyone else is capable of being a plug and play it’s Darrisaw. I don’t see Jenkins as a plug and play at all. Personally I think Jenkins ends up as a guard, which might be an unpopular take on this forum, but many others share the same view of him. 

[BayRaider]

1 minute ago, MrOaktown_56 said:

Yeah RT is a VERY important position and there are not a lot of off the ball linebackers who can provide 1st round value in a loaded LB class for me.

Yeah this LB class is nuts. One of those guys would certainly be at 48 if we want them. And one of the lesser tier guys, but still starter material like Cox, should be there at 79 imo. LB’s always fall. Always. 

[big_palooka]

I think the plan was pretty simple. They hired a well regarded DC who assembled his staff with the task of developing a bunch early round draft picks that to this point have disappointed. Dline and FS are weak in this class. They added stopgaps in those spots so they don't have to force a draft selection.

Offense, the Oline was not the monster Gruden wanted it to be late in the season. Overpaid and they decided right or wrong to get cheaper and let Cable continue to develop players. Also with an eye on a deep Oline class. 

Skills, it's all about getting Ruggs and Edwards going. Simply add a couple vets fails safes. And Drake was purely a vanity move for Gruden.

IMO... they go defense at 17. LB or DB unless the key guys are off the bored. Bradley like LBs and he currently has no depth and mediocre starters there.

[Jeremy408]

51 minutes ago, big_palooka said:

I think the plan was pretty simple. They hired a well regarded DC who assembled his staff with the task of developing a bunch early round draft picks that to this point have disappointed. Dline and FS are weak in this class. They added stopgaps in those spots so they don't have to force a draft selection.

Offense, the Oline was not the monster Gruden wanted it to be late in the season. Overpaid and they decided right or wrong to get cheaper and let Cable continue to develop players. Also with an eye on a deep Oline class. 

Skills, it's all about getting Ruggs and Edwards going. Simply add a couple vets fails safes. And Drake was purely a vanity move for Gruden.

IMO... they go defense at 17. LB or DB unless the key guys are off the bored. Bradley like LBs and he currently has no depth and mediocre starters there.

In a nutshell

[NYRaider]

1 hour ago, big_palooka said:

Offense, the Oline was not the monster Gruden wanted it to be late in the season. Overpaid and they decided right or wrong to get cheaper and let Cable continue to develop players. Also with an eye on a deep Oline class.

That definitely wasn't the plan though, we were asking Trent Brown and Gabe Jackson to take pay cuts. Which led to Rodney Hudson asking to be let go. 

[NYRaider]

1 hour ago, big_palooka said:

IMO... they go defense at 17. LB or DB unless the key guys are off the bored. Bradley like LBs and he currently has no depth and mediocre starters there.