Raiders seek defensive turnaround like last season
ALAMEDA — The numbers say it’s an unmitigated disaster, with stat crews struggling to keep up with the yardage figures opponents are rolling up on a weekly basis.
Coach Jack Del Rio promises it will get better, and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. insists “It’s about belief. We work hard and have the right people to get it done.”
Heading into Sunday’s road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Raiders are ranked dead last in total defense, giving up 444.8 yards per game, and also in yards per play, at 6.9 per snap. They’re last in pass defense (312.7 yards per game) and 30th against the run (132.2).
The Raiders have Khalil Mack, yet 27 teams have more sacks.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is.
Something similar happened a year ago, with the Raiders giving up 411.5 yards and 314.6 yards per game passing through eight games, only to improve dramatically in the second half. It went almost unnoticed because the offense went in the tank and it didn’t translate to more wins.
By season’s end, the Raiders went from 30th in total defense to 22nd and held three of their last six opponents under 300 yards.
Del Rio is hoping for a carryover.
“We’ve got some guys that have been through it before and understand you stay the course and work on the fundamentals of what you need to get done and it will improve,” Del Rio said.
Two things led to a dramatic overestimation on how good the Raiders would be on defense to start the 2016 season.
First, perceived gains in free agency — most notably linebacker Bruce Irvin, cornerback Sean Smith and free safety Reggie Nelson — have yet to make their imprint.
That’s not unusual. The reason players are free agents is that their own clubs for one reason or another let them walk.
Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, now an ESPN analyst, maintains “The best players are not in free agency. They’re tagged or signed. By definition you’re not getting someone’s No. 1 player.”
Polian also believes the process of relocation, new teammates and a new system can take a player as much as an entire season to get acclimated.
Second, those Raiders free agents have been joined by rookie starters in strong safety Karl Joseph, defensive end Jihad Ward and middle linebacker Cory James. Shilique Calhoun and Darius Latham have also received considerable time.
Between the big-ticket free agents and rookies, that’s six new starters plus two others who are often on the field. That’s a lot of new puzzle pieces, and because of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, there is less time on the practice field to mesh during the off-season, training camp and regular season.
“Because of the big names and the draft picks, everybody was like, ‘Y’all going to be so dominant,’ ” defensive tackle Justin Ellis said. “But it takes a lot more than paperwork. Right now we’re just working at it.”
Regardless of the new moving parts, everybody from Del Rio and Norton to those on the outside think the Raiders should be a lot better. Even at 4-2, their hopes of returning to the postseason for the first time since 2002 rest with a defensive improvement similar to last season.
The Raiders linebackers get their share of criticism, but the road to six or more wins to finish out the season lies with the defensive line and secondary.
It’s true Mack’s total of two sacks has a lot to do with extra blockers sent his way. But if Mack is facing two or sometimes three defenders trying to slow his charge, then the rest of the Raiders linemen ought to be inflicting a lot more damage.
For a team that general manager Reggie McKenzie and Del Rio built with big people so the Raiders could push other teams around, linemen such as Ellis, Ward, Latham, Dan Williams and Denico Autry are being neutralized too often. The best player aside from Mack has been defensive tackle Stacy McGee.
If defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. returns after midseason, that will help, but he’s not a silver and black bullet. It has to be a group effort.
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers articulated the problem with the Oakland defensive backs after the Raiders’ 34-31 win when he said the secondary couldn’t run with the Chargers receivers, so he kept going vertical with good results.
If you’re going to have tall, physical corners such as Smith and David Amerson, and a 33-year-old free safety in Nelson, then you’d better have a pass rush that doesn’t allow opposing passers to set up and fling it to speedsters.
Coaches and players insist the effort level and commitment is there. So the communication problem that has been a weekly topic should be made better simply through the experience of practicing and playing together.
But if the Raiders front seven doesn’t start beating blocks, stuffing runs and getting after the passer, none of that will matter.