Answering Your Las Vegas Raiders Questions: How to Win?
HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders have one of the most passionate fan bases in all of the professional sports.
Each week we endeavor to answer the emails and questions that you send us. So let's get right at this week's mailbag:
Hondo -The Raiders need a # 2 at this point. Waller's hamstring injury is unknown and Renfrow is struggling after a concussion. Would the Raiders trade for Agholor from the Pats? He knows the offense from last year with McDaniels and knows Carr. Thank you. Eric Moore
No, they are thrilled with Mack Hollins, and Hunter Renfrow is doing well in his recovery.
Several of you had comments, that didn't require an answer. Here are some of the cleaner ones:
It seems Josh McDaniels is overly aggressive sometimes but overly conservative other times. It makes me wonder about him and raises many questions. For instance, in the Chiefs game with Jacob’s pounding the rock so well, why not use him on the 3rd and one instead of the low percentage pass to Adams ruled incomplete, and then especially on the 4th down low percentage deeper pass to Adams/Renfro that was a disaster? Peter Adams
How much longer are we Raider fans going to watch McDaniels lose with a team that was a playoff team last year? Mark Davis needs to stop allowing bad coaches to coach a good team. Don't be AL Davis!!! Vidal Marquez
Hondo, love how you handle this column and its emotionalism. The "learning how to win" theme is something the COACHES need to do. Game planning seems okay but game time and half-time adjustments are simply horrendous. This is why many of us have so little faith in Josh McGenius and his staff. Excellent preparation is undermined by incompetence on game day. The coaches are losing us games. -Michael Barnes
Hondo: Josh McDaniels’ “this team needs to learn how to finish games” routine is getting old. Most of the big players on this team are carryovers from last year and have multiple years of experience. If that doesn’t matter, why does every coach, announcer, and analyst talk about years of experience all the time? His statement comes across as a weak excuse. They made the damn playoffs last year and won a bunch of close games! Maybe it’s Josh that needs to learn how to coach to finish and win games. The Cardinals Collapse, the 2-point call, and other bad decisions are on him. This team should be at least 3-2. Rick Barone Raider fan in the CLE
Hondo, Great work. I don’t buy the whole “learning how to win” spiel that McDaniels keeps bringing up. The core of the team is filled with players that have been a part of winning football. So here’s my question: does the team really need to “learn how to win” or is it McDaniels that needs to learn? Keep it up. Ricardo Ruelas
I STILL BELIEVE IN THIS TEAM. PEOPLE MAY THINK I AM CRAZY BUT I TOOK THE LONG ODDS ON THEM TO WIN DIVISION AND SUPER BOWL. I DON’T SWEE IT. Best Regards, Doug Rigg
Hondo, When are the Raiders going to spend the money on the OL? That's our weakest spot. Carr needs protection. And get rid of Eluemunor, he's only good for penalties. Commitment to Excellence Aushi Metcalf
They are willing to make a trade for a long-term fix, but they are playing the long game, and not a quick fix that becomes an anchor.
Does the coaching staff feel their players are inadequate to play receivers tight and perhaps get an occasional interception? Norvel McDonald
Patrick Graham's system is putting his CBs on an island, and they have done a lot of it. I do not think they believe they have inadequate players, I think the feeling is that injuries and a lack of execution by the players have hurt them.
Hello Sir, My question is for the team/ coach. Will they be able to improve their tackling? To me, it seems tackling is an issue besides making simple mistakes on the field. Sincerely yours, Billy Stewart
I agree about tackling issues. I spoke earlier today to DC Patrick Graham about it, and here is the transcript:
Q: NFL has made player safety changes in training camp and even practice during the week is not as physical as it used to be, but when you look at the team struggling with tackling like they did against Kansas City, how do you fix that when you're not as physical as you used to be?
Coach Graham: “Through practice. I mean, that's part of what we have to do in terms of innovation, things change over time. We got to find ways to practice tackling and make sure that we're getting them as close to real life situations as possible. So, that's through the leadership of our head coach, special teams, defensive coaches all getting involved with that and just trying to work as much as we can in terms of the angles. Again, you might not get the physical contact part of it, but there's ways to simulate that whether it's through some of the sled work that we use, just getting back to fundamentals with that. But a lot of times tackling is about the angles, close now at the right proper angle, pursuit to the ball, that's the main things that you got to focus on when you can't really do it live.”
Q: When you have guys in the right place and they just missed a tackle, that's not on you. They're professionals paid to do that. Is that maybe one of the most frustrating parts of the job, is when you know you got the right play called, the player is right there?
Coach Graham: “I'm in charge of the defense, with the leadership and guidance of our Head Coach, and it is on me. That will never change. I know the players they put it on themselves at times and stuff like that, but it's my job to have us prepared to stop what we got to stop and it's my job to get them executing the way you need to execute. So, my answer won't change on that. Appreciate the sentiment, but it’s always on me.”
How will this “bad” start affect the resolve of this team to keep the faith and push forward? I see a lot of good things and they could easily have a record anywhere from 1-4 to 5-0. Thank you, Monty Hilton
I can tell you this, and I am speaking from decades of experience. I have never seen a team with such high expectations, that started this bad, not turn on each other, until this team. I still feel this team bounces back, they believe in each other, and the anger is directed at themselves.
What's going on with the rotation of defensive ends? Do the coaches lack confidence in Koonce and Bower? Jones was ineffective until the Chiefs game and Ferrell is not a pass rusher. Mad Maxx has been awesome but might be even better if he gets more rest during games. Will Leong
I think your question is fair. Chandler Jones, I think in the last two games has been good. But here is what Patrick Graham thinks about Chandler Jones, “Again, how we gauge it, it's really about affecting the quarterback. And I know you guys hate hearing that when we say that. But it really is and I'm not BS-ing on that. But the sacks will come when the sacks come. I mean, the thing is, we're trying to affect the quarterback first, and the sacks are really a byproduct of that. And they'll come when they come. And sometimes they come in bunches. I've been part of teams when it's low, low, low, and then all of a sudden, they come in bunches. Again, it's a combination of things. What's the situation in the game? Combination of the coverage and the rush and just putting things together. And then I would say this, we always talk about being fluid in there with the pass rush. There's got to be a part of them growing together and working off of each other, and so that's part of it as well. But Chandler has been making plays in the run game, pass game. I've been pleased with what Chandler is doing."
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The Raiders return to action in Week 7 when they host the Houston Texans. That game kicks off at 1:05 p.m. PDT and can be seen on CBS.
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