Black Hole: Good, Bad, and Ugly with Las Vegas Raiders V

Henderson, Nev. -- I get a lot of nuggets and information that alone are not big enough for a story. When I have a few that I can assemble, I will, and when I only have one or two, I will post them on our community page. So, welcome to The Black Hole.

I was stunned this offseason with the criticism of Jon Gruden.
Last Monday night, he outcoached Sean Payton.
I have immense respect for Payton, but Gruden had the Raiders ready.
The Saints looked like the Raiders of old. They self-destructed with penalties and mistakes.
Payton's Saints were tired after the first quarter and frustrated as the game went on. The Saints had no idea what was going on.
According to people I spoke with that work for the franchise, I am told that Payton was so frustrated by the loss and how the Saints played that he kept his team in Vegas past their scheduled departure time, to watch the film and, "Coach" his team-up.
Bill Belichick had some interesting comments about the Raiders defense this week. "When you look at the Raiders since Coach Guenther has been there, you definitely the multiple pressure schemes. You also don't see them. I mean, they don't do it on every play, but they have the ability to utilize different combinations of pressures."
He continued: "When you look at the bigger sample size, yeah you definitely see similarities schematically in what they do. It's certainly different due to personnel and the individuals that do it, but schematically, there are a lot of similarities."
Belichick has an exceptional relationship with Gruden. That should tell you the respect that the Raiders head man has around the National Football League.
Belichick said of Gruden: "I think Coach Gruden has built the team, specifically the offense, into the style of offense that he's always coached. He's obviously done a very good job of it. He has good players at every position."
Belichick is universally respected, and he is not one to speak hyperbole.
He thinks the Raiders are improved but not there yet.
"I think he's maybe not there, but I think he's pretty close to having what he wants from a personnel standpoint. Obviously, [Tyrell] Williams is a big loss for them, him not being in there, but from a personnel standpoint, I think he has what he wants to run the offense that pretty much he's always run and run well."
Belichick's praise of Gruden continued. "Coach Gruden's been successful every place he's been, offensively from Philadelphia to Oakland to Tampa and now back to Oakland again in a fairly short amount of time. So, it's a proven system. He absolutely knows what he's doing, he puts a lot of pressure on the defense, and as he's gotten the personnel that he needs to have the full complement of an arsenal there, I think you're seeing the results of it, 30-something points a game this year."
He concluded on Gruden by adding: "I think he's got things – or he's getting them the way he wants them – I'm not saying he's there yet or it feels like he's there yet, but he's certainly moving it in the right direction. Not sure exactly what other offense you're referring to with the Raiders. They've had a number of different offensive coordinators and offense coaches in their history. This is not a team that's had a lot of defensive coaches. But, they've all kind of had, I'd say, different styles, depending on who the offensive coordinator or I guess more specifically who the head coach was during those times."
Tight end Darren Waller's performance on Monday night didn't surprise readers of Sports Illustrated's Raider Maven.
We have been singing his praise for months. But what it did do, was send panic attacks to every defensive coordinator or on the Raiders schedule.
Derek Carr gets rid of the ball so fast that if teams load the box to stop Josh Jacobs and get pressure on Carr, how do they scheme on Waller and the receivers?
The Saints had the very best defense against the Raiders with an elite rushing defense and two shutdown corners.
It didn't matter.
When facing the Raiders, you literally have to pick your poison and pray that somebody has a bad day.
Henry Ruggs loss is big, but not necessarily from a statistical standpoint. Not having him to stretch the field is a very big deal.
In the Raiders game versus New Orleans, Henry Ruggs took two big pass interference penalties against the Saints defense. That is a direct example of what he does that doesn't end up in the stat sheet. His loss hurts from that perspective as well.
We wrote all offseason about the accumulation of veterans by General Manager Mike Mayock. You see it with Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones. Both do their jobs, and both have been major contributors.
The loss of Ruggs hurts but is NOT a death blow.
Derek Carr's performance on Monday was amazing. We were told that playing on Monday Night Football was a Hall of Fame quarterback.
If you didn't know anything, but just watched that game, Derek Carr was CLEARLY the best signal-caller on the field.
Josh Jacobs is an incredible athlete. Lost in his talent is that he is a super young man.
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock are accumulating good people who are also good players. It is fascinating how they are putting the roster together.
Rodney Hudson is the best center in football. He is a master of quick decisions, and if you watch his feet and hands, they are never out of place. I personally have not seen a center playing at his level since Mike Webster. I will be stunned if Hudson, when his career is over, isn't in Canton.
This week in practice, the Raiders did several things to get a feel for Cam Newton. Including using a running back to play Newton on the scout team.
The Raiders have not given up ANY third-quarter points by their defense. That is an amazing stat and tells you how well Paul Guenther and his staff are making adjustments.
People concerned about the lack of pressure from the Raiders defensive line need to take a break.
Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the league getting rid of the ball.
Don't forget that teams now know who Maxx Crosby is, and they are keying on him. Not like they did Reggie White yet, but they are making some adjustments.
Damon Arnette and Trayvon Mullen are both playing well. They are young, but they have a thick skin, and the Raider Nation should be encouraged.
If Tom Cable is not the best offensive line coach in the NFL, I would love to see who it is.
Kolton Miller grew the entire second half of last season, and through two games this year, has gotten better every snap.
Kolton's growth is steady, and now the game is slowing down for him.
The Saints threw five different attacks at him last week, and he only had one bad snap.
I spoke with one NFL Assistant General Manager this week who told me: "I think Miller is on his way toward being elite in the National Football League." Credit Cable and Miller's character. Cable coaches him hard, and he takes it and thrives in it.
How about John Simpson's play?
Simpson got a shot when Richie Incognito went down, and he hammered it. He played loose and played superbly. For a rookie, I don't think he could have had a better game.
This Raider offensive line is so tight. They work together, they eat together, and they are close. The character of this line is impressive.
Denzelle Good is another example of a guy who steps in and makes plays. The best ability is availability, and he exemplifies that.
One thing that makes Cable an elite coach is that he trains everybody at multiple positions. That is why the Raiders have shined when they could have whined.
That is what Mike Mayock loved about Simpson in the draft process. Simpson had no ego and a work ethic that stood out. He is teachable, and with the new-look modern Raiders, that is what you have to be.
The Raiders offense has produced in the red zone this year. That was not the case last year. Isn't it amazing how Derek Carr's critics still haven't spoken up?
All offseason, when Raider Maven pointed out that Derek Carr couldn't block, throw and catch on every play, they said we were apologists. Nope, just truth-tellers and Carr's critics' silence show truth isn't pivotal to them.
The Raiders going back to Jalen Richard after a critical mistake says a lot of the staff's confidence in the roster. They didn't want to throw him to the curve. He didn't pout, and when his number was called, he responded. That is character.
Derek Carr's ability to change the play at the line and audible is under the radar. One member of the Raider organization just told me: "Lost in the win was how good Derek was with adjustments at the line. That isn't going to show on a stat sheet, but it did on film. He played a near-perfect game."
Damon Arnette should get credit for a big thing that doesn't show on the stat sheet. He is incredibly teachable. He listens to Johnathan Abram, but at the same time keeps things light-hearted. He is both youthful and teachable. That is a rare combination, and that is why this team loves Arnette.
Arnette is playing well, and his work ethic is impressive. He can be both a joker and a hard worker.
Injuries are devastating the league, and many believe no spring and no preseason games add to it. While the Raiders have had injuries, they are not doing as badly as many have.

OK, I need to stop. That is five pages already, people, and I still have more.

I have so many more notes, and I promise that I will get them all in. Our "Black Hole" articles will happen once a week.

I can tell you this; Raider Nation has a ton to be excited about. This article is already long, or I could give you many more reasons and players to be excited about. Keep your eyes out for the next "Black Hole," and please tell your friends about it.

How to watch or listen to the Las Vegas Raiders versus the New England Patriots on Sunday?

TV: CBS 1 PM ET/10 AM PT

Radio: Raider Nation Radio

Odds: New England -5.5

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