TheNextStep
TX BBQ > KC BBQ
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I haven't really weighed in much lately and, you know me, I like to ramble on and cover a lot of subjects - whether already covered or not - so here is my semi-regular narcissistic "Random Thoughts" thread...
Coaching Search
Okay... so what I know to be true is that Steve Sarkisian interviewed, felt it went well, and that Pete Carroll thinks that the guy is pretty much gone. I also know that Rob Ryan interviewed on Friday and reports are that it went well. I also know that James Lofton is supposedly going to interview with Al Davis again, although it is being dismissed as a "Rooney Rule" interview. I know that Marc Trestman was interviewed early in the process. After that, I know that I've heard Jim Fassell mentioned, though I don't know if he did actually interview or how it supposedly went. I also hear Denny Green's name brought up, though I really don't see that happening.
Steve Sarkisian - Right now, the odds on favorite to win the job and I have to say that I'm warming to the idea. I think everybody in Raiderland likes the idea of finding the "next Gruden" just like we found the last one... and as a young offensive minded coach, that's what Sarkisian will always be compared to. I like the fact that he's stated that he's focused on getting the Raider job, too. That said, my worry is how he'll fare calling plays in the NFL. Let's be honest here, USC has backups that are more talented than most D-I schools' starters. Kinda makes it easier when the difference in talent is so heavily slanted in your favor. Also, I dig Rob Ryan and he's made no bones about the fact that he's interested in the gig... and I'd hate to lose him over this coaching hire, particularly if Sarkisian ends up not working out.
Rob Ryan - the guy revamped the defense and turned it into one of the best units in the league. His players love him and he's a fiery kind of guy. While the media at large tends to be dismissive on the grounds that Al likes offensive guys, our most famous coach of all (after Al, of course) used to coach linebackers. On the downside, it DID take him three years to get the defense playing ball... and that's his area of expertise. There's no way in hell that he'd get three years with an offense, so they'd better bring in somebody MAJOR as an offensive coordinator for him. Still, he's the horse that I'm backing at the moment.
James Lofton - I cannot lie and say that I know much about him, other than to say that he's interviewed for a couple of teams and supposedly come off well. Still, man... he's very green. While I don't think this is a "Rooney Rule" interview per se (because it is insulting to insinuate that Al freakin' Davis of all people would interview a minority candidate for the sole purpose of filling in a square on a checklist), I'd be very surprised if Lofton was the pick.
Marc Trestman - the only way I like Trestman is if Sarkisian is the head coach and Trestman serves as an offensive coordinator or some kind of offensive consultant. That said, adding Trestman pretty much kills any plan to commit to a running game, which would absolutely kill me!
Jim Fassell - Please, God... No.
Denny Green - while there is the intriguing idea that he could handle Moss' mood swings, that's about the only positive I can see coming out of this hire. I'd just as soon not go that route.
Other Coaches And Other Teams
Once Cam Cameron declined to be interviewed, everybody outside of Raider Nation was screaming, "Ha, that proves that nobody wants to coach in Oakland!" Well... now that Brian Schottenheimer has withdrawn his name from consideration in Miami, does that mean that Wayne "I've interviewed everybody with a pulse" Huizenga is an owner that "nobody wants to work for," too?
For that matter, does the fact that Scott Pioli rejected overtures from the New York Giants to become their General Manager mean that the Giants organization sucks? Does the fact that the New York Giants rejected overtures from Bill Parcells to become their General Manager mean that Bill Parcells can't recognize talent?
Of course it doesn't. I'm just sayin'....
Adrian Peterson
Brady Quinn is the most NFL ready quarterback in the draft!
JaMarcus Russell is a physical freak with a cannon arm!
Joe Thomas is a monster left tackle!
Calvin Johnson is like Randy Moss with a better temperment!
Yeah, yeah, yeah... fuck 'em. I'm still standing tall at the front of the Adrian Peterson bandwagon. As a Big XII guy (gig 'em Aggies), I've watched this kid run through, over, and around anybody that was put in front of him. Remember how highly rated Cedric Benson was? Fuck him, too. Adrian Peterson is a freakish blend of speed and power. The kind of guy that can punch it up the gut or take it to the corner. That's the kind of guy that this offense needs. And, before anyone takes my "freakish blend" comment too far, no, he's not Bo Jackson. Still, he's an amazing talent at running back and he's the one guy in this draft that could step on the field and IMMEDIATELY make this offense better.
With a strong running game, the offensive line immediately gets better. Yes, the same offensive line that sucked rocks all season long. Why? Because run blocking is pro-active, not reactive. You get a guy like Peterson and hammer away with him and get your linemen into the habit of mashing defenders into oblivion rather than trying to stop defenders from getting past them. Of course, this also presumes that our next coach does more than give lip service to re-establishing the running game in Oakland. "But, Stepper," you say, "we saw last season that this line can't run block either!" Okay, to a point... but I will say that Fargas looked pretty good towards the end, suggesting some improvement, and that I was criticizing LaMont's utter lack of explosiveness towards the line of scrimmage all year long. Trust me, Peterson isn't a kid that dances behind the line. Give him a hole and he's getting through it.
Further, the quarterback becomes better with a credible running threat. Phillip fucking Rivers made the pro-bowl this year, people! Yeah... a fucking first year starter who had bullshit receivers! And why did that happen? Because every defense was keyed on Tomlinson. I don't have to say it - you know it as well as I do. Well, I'm saying that Peterson can be that kind of player for us. Perhaps not "Tomlinson" but certainly a featured guy that other teams will HAVE to account for, thus buying our quarterback some much needed relief from the "blitz every down" attacks that they saw this year.
I'm telling you guys... Adrian Peterson is the guy. The rest of those guys aren't chopped liver and, yeah, we'll have to listen to "The Raiders passed on a franchise type quarterback again" smack talk... but fuck 'em. Adrian Peterson makes us a much better football team with a much more balanced offense the very second he steps onto the field. He's gotta be the pick.
The Return of the West Coast Offense... The Return of Andrew Walter?
First, let me get out the obligatory "Walsh's offense isn't the real West Coast Offense because the real West Coast Offense was born of Sid Gillman and is nothing at all like Walsh's system" disclaimer. That's just the plain truth. Old style "Raider Football" was true West Coast Offense (since Al Davis worked for, learned under, and respected the hell out of Gillman). That said, popular usage of the term has bastardized it into meaning "Walsh's offense" or, if you will, old style "49er Football." As such, I use it in the modern usage, much to my own bitter dislike...
That aside...
I posited the question a while back, when it first came to light that we were interviewing Trestman and Sarkisian, that perhaps we were looking at these "west coast offense" coaches in order to have a staff in place to make the best use of Brady Quinn. Upon further reflection, I wonder if we couldn't very well be making the move in an effort to better utilize Andrew Walter. When he was candidly criticizing Tom Walsh's offense and playcalling, wasn't he essentially asking that some of the tenets of "west coast offense' be implemented? Wasn't he asking for the quick throws and a greater involvement for the backs in the passing game? And, if so, couldn't bringing in somebody more "west coast" minded be geared not so much for best utilizing a player to be added to the roster, but to one that is already there?
Look, Andrew Walter looked pretty bad at times for the Raiders this year... but I still hold that any quarterback would have, so I tend to give him somewhat of a pass on that. Besides, he did start the only two Raider victories of the year... and this despite Art Shell's yo-yo game with starting quarterbacks.
I dunno... is Andrew Walter salvageable after the pasting he took last year? Did he even show enough to merit consideration? Is it reasonable to expect an improvement if he's put in a more "quarterback friendly" system?
Just something to think about.
Coaching Search
Okay... so what I know to be true is that Steve Sarkisian interviewed, felt it went well, and that Pete Carroll thinks that the guy is pretty much gone. I also know that Rob Ryan interviewed on Friday and reports are that it went well. I also know that James Lofton is supposedly going to interview with Al Davis again, although it is being dismissed as a "Rooney Rule" interview. I know that Marc Trestman was interviewed early in the process. After that, I know that I've heard Jim Fassell mentioned, though I don't know if he did actually interview or how it supposedly went. I also hear Denny Green's name brought up, though I really don't see that happening.
Steve Sarkisian - Right now, the odds on favorite to win the job and I have to say that I'm warming to the idea. I think everybody in Raiderland likes the idea of finding the "next Gruden" just like we found the last one... and as a young offensive minded coach, that's what Sarkisian will always be compared to. I like the fact that he's stated that he's focused on getting the Raider job, too. That said, my worry is how he'll fare calling plays in the NFL. Let's be honest here, USC has backups that are more talented than most D-I schools' starters. Kinda makes it easier when the difference in talent is so heavily slanted in your favor. Also, I dig Rob Ryan and he's made no bones about the fact that he's interested in the gig... and I'd hate to lose him over this coaching hire, particularly if Sarkisian ends up not working out.
Rob Ryan - the guy revamped the defense and turned it into one of the best units in the league. His players love him and he's a fiery kind of guy. While the media at large tends to be dismissive on the grounds that Al likes offensive guys, our most famous coach of all (after Al, of course) used to coach linebackers. On the downside, it DID take him three years to get the defense playing ball... and that's his area of expertise. There's no way in hell that he'd get three years with an offense, so they'd better bring in somebody MAJOR as an offensive coordinator for him. Still, he's the horse that I'm backing at the moment.
James Lofton - I cannot lie and say that I know much about him, other than to say that he's interviewed for a couple of teams and supposedly come off well. Still, man... he's very green. While I don't think this is a "Rooney Rule" interview per se (because it is insulting to insinuate that Al freakin' Davis of all people would interview a minority candidate for the sole purpose of filling in a square on a checklist), I'd be very surprised if Lofton was the pick.
Marc Trestman - the only way I like Trestman is if Sarkisian is the head coach and Trestman serves as an offensive coordinator or some kind of offensive consultant. That said, adding Trestman pretty much kills any plan to commit to a running game, which would absolutely kill me!
Jim Fassell - Please, God... No.
Denny Green - while there is the intriguing idea that he could handle Moss' mood swings, that's about the only positive I can see coming out of this hire. I'd just as soon not go that route.
Other Coaches And Other Teams
Once Cam Cameron declined to be interviewed, everybody outside of Raider Nation was screaming, "Ha, that proves that nobody wants to coach in Oakland!" Well... now that Brian Schottenheimer has withdrawn his name from consideration in Miami, does that mean that Wayne "I've interviewed everybody with a pulse" Huizenga is an owner that "nobody wants to work for," too?
For that matter, does the fact that Scott Pioli rejected overtures from the New York Giants to become their General Manager mean that the Giants organization sucks? Does the fact that the New York Giants rejected overtures from Bill Parcells to become their General Manager mean that Bill Parcells can't recognize talent?
Of course it doesn't. I'm just sayin'....
Adrian Peterson
Brady Quinn is the most NFL ready quarterback in the draft!
JaMarcus Russell is a physical freak with a cannon arm!
Joe Thomas is a monster left tackle!
Calvin Johnson is like Randy Moss with a better temperment!
Yeah, yeah, yeah... fuck 'em. I'm still standing tall at the front of the Adrian Peterson bandwagon. As a Big XII guy (gig 'em Aggies), I've watched this kid run through, over, and around anybody that was put in front of him. Remember how highly rated Cedric Benson was? Fuck him, too. Adrian Peterson is a freakish blend of speed and power. The kind of guy that can punch it up the gut or take it to the corner. That's the kind of guy that this offense needs. And, before anyone takes my "freakish blend" comment too far, no, he's not Bo Jackson. Still, he's an amazing talent at running back and he's the one guy in this draft that could step on the field and IMMEDIATELY make this offense better.
With a strong running game, the offensive line immediately gets better. Yes, the same offensive line that sucked rocks all season long. Why? Because run blocking is pro-active, not reactive. You get a guy like Peterson and hammer away with him and get your linemen into the habit of mashing defenders into oblivion rather than trying to stop defenders from getting past them. Of course, this also presumes that our next coach does more than give lip service to re-establishing the running game in Oakland. "But, Stepper," you say, "we saw last season that this line can't run block either!" Okay, to a point... but I will say that Fargas looked pretty good towards the end, suggesting some improvement, and that I was criticizing LaMont's utter lack of explosiveness towards the line of scrimmage all year long. Trust me, Peterson isn't a kid that dances behind the line. Give him a hole and he's getting through it.
Further, the quarterback becomes better with a credible running threat. Phillip fucking Rivers made the pro-bowl this year, people! Yeah... a fucking first year starter who had bullshit receivers! And why did that happen? Because every defense was keyed on Tomlinson. I don't have to say it - you know it as well as I do. Well, I'm saying that Peterson can be that kind of player for us. Perhaps not "Tomlinson" but certainly a featured guy that other teams will HAVE to account for, thus buying our quarterback some much needed relief from the "blitz every down" attacks that they saw this year.
I'm telling you guys... Adrian Peterson is the guy. The rest of those guys aren't chopped liver and, yeah, we'll have to listen to "The Raiders passed on a franchise type quarterback again" smack talk... but fuck 'em. Adrian Peterson makes us a much better football team with a much more balanced offense the very second he steps onto the field. He's gotta be the pick.
The Return of the West Coast Offense... The Return of Andrew Walter?
First, let me get out the obligatory "Walsh's offense isn't the real West Coast Offense because the real West Coast Offense was born of Sid Gillman and is nothing at all like Walsh's system" disclaimer. That's just the plain truth. Old style "Raider Football" was true West Coast Offense (since Al Davis worked for, learned under, and respected the hell out of Gillman). That said, popular usage of the term has bastardized it into meaning "Walsh's offense" or, if you will, old style "49er Football." As such, I use it in the modern usage, much to my own bitter dislike...
That aside...
I posited the question a while back, when it first came to light that we were interviewing Trestman and Sarkisian, that perhaps we were looking at these "west coast offense" coaches in order to have a staff in place to make the best use of Brady Quinn. Upon further reflection, I wonder if we couldn't very well be making the move in an effort to better utilize Andrew Walter. When he was candidly criticizing Tom Walsh's offense and playcalling, wasn't he essentially asking that some of the tenets of "west coast offense' be implemented? Wasn't he asking for the quick throws and a greater involvement for the backs in the passing game? And, if so, couldn't bringing in somebody more "west coast" minded be geared not so much for best utilizing a player to be added to the roster, but to one that is already there?
Look, Andrew Walter looked pretty bad at times for the Raiders this year... but I still hold that any quarterback would have, so I tend to give him somewhat of a pass on that. Besides, he did start the only two Raider victories of the year... and this despite Art Shell's yo-yo game with starting quarterbacks.
I dunno... is Andrew Walter salvageable after the pasting he took last year? Did he even show enough to merit consideration? Is it reasonable to expect an improvement if he's put in a more "quarterback friendly" system?
Just something to think about.
