Late 2000's Gruden or New and Improved Gruden
Jon Gruden has won a Super Bowl, led teams to the playoffs and held a .540 winning percentage record when he returned to Oakland in 2018. But in his return, at the tune of 10 years $100 million, the offensive guru that lead Rich Gannon to the AFC Championship Game in 2000 and Brad Johnson to a Super Bowl title in 2002 has lost his luster as an "offensive guru". His offense was ranked 28th in the league last year in points and 23rd in total yards which doesn't bode well for an offensive minded coach. If Gruden keeps his offense playing like it did in the 2000's, the Raiders will not win many games. They added All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown, big bodied receiver Tyrell Williams, and speedster J.J. Nelson, and a the #1 overall rated running back in Josh Jacobs. All of this combined with an offense that has Derek Carr, who isn't far removed from an MVP season, and who had a 93.9 rating last season. This offense has the weapons to be one of the top offenses in the league but it will depend on if Jon Gruden made changes to his offense philosophy.
Which Antonio Brown is arriving?
Antonio is an all-time great. He has 7 Pro Bowls and 4 All-Pro selections to his name. The Raiders traded for the disgruntled receiver from Pittsburgh for a 3rd and 5th round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. They Immediately signed him to a 3 year $50 million extension. He got everything he wanted from being traded to a new shiny deal. With that being said, which Antonio Brown are they going to get? He was a disruption in the Steelers locker room to the point that head coach Mike Tomlin sat him for the season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals where they were playing for a playoff spot. He publicly tweeted a jab at fellow teammate JuJu Smith-Shuster for fumbling against the New Orlean Saints. There was also controversy when he posted a video of Mike Tomlin speaking to the team after their playoff victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. All these incidents have made Brown a headache for the Steelers and a major reason towards their decision to move him. With him now being in a new team, a new head coach, and a new quarterback, will he be a leader in the locker room or a distraction? Hard Knocks will show which Antonio Brown came to town.
New and Improved Defense?
The Raiders were abysmal last season on the defensive end. They were dead last in the league in points allowed, allowing 29.2 points per game. They also only got 13 sacks on the opposing quarterbacks at a 2.6% rate, which both were last in the league. They drafted Clemson defensive end All-American Clelin Ferrell #4 overall and hard hitting safety Johnathan Abram out of Mississippi State to join free agent signee Lamarcus Joyner who joined the team on a four-year $42 million contract. The team also features young talent in Arden Key and Maurice Hurst who combined for 5 sacks as rookies last year. They also have veteran leadership in Johathan Hankens and Vontaze Burfict. The talent is there but it will be up to defensive coordinator Paul Guenther to use all that talent to improve the worst defense in the league from last year.
Clelin Ferrell
Clellin Ferrell came out of Clemson boasting one of the best resumes in the country. His senior season he recorded 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in route to a National Championship and a consensus All-American selection. With all these accolades, draft pundits felt that the Raiders reached for him at #4 and felt that he would be available later in the draft. With higher rated players like Devin White and Josh Allen still available, some eyes will be on Ferrell to show what he deserved the spot. Early reports out of OTA’s and Rookie Mini camp shows that he has promise and the Raiders love him with Guenther stating “Clelin is exactly what we’re looking for”. He fits their scheme well as a 4-3 defensive end and his work ethic has been in full display but that or his character was never in question. It is whether or not he can produce in the league. If he doesn’t show up in Hard Knocks, the critics will come after him and the Raiders.
The Raiders open training camp on July 23rd with Hard Knocks premiering on August 6th on HBO.
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