Know Your Enemy: The Raiders Defense

[mascho]

http://central.sonsofsamhorn.net/nfl/know-your-enemy-the-raiders-defense/
 
 

After two weeks of the NFL season the Oakland Raiders find themselves with an 0-2 record following a close 19-14 loss to the Jets on the road and a 30-14 defeat at home to the Houston Texans. While rookie quarterback Derek Carr grabs the headlines, the new-look Raider defense may be Oakland’s most important storyline during the 2014 season. Offseason acquisitions added depth to their front seven, with OLB LaMarr Woodley and DE/DT Justin Tuck joining rookie DE/LB Khalil Mack. Meanwhile the Raider secondary gained a veteran presence with CBs Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers both migrating across the bay from San Francisco and CB/S Charles Woodson making his return to Oakland.
 

 
 

Weak-side Linebacker – Miles Burris #56
Expected to back up Nick Roach (who is suffering from the lingering effects of a concussion), Burris has started Oakland’s first two games. The Raiders primarily position him on the weak side, as they align Mack at either strong-side linebacker or defensive end.
Previously, we highlighted Burris in This Week in Running: Oakland Preview and discussed how New England could run a power game at the linebacker. The Houston coaching staff evidently saw the same thing in their review of the tape. On the first play of the game last week, Houston runs Foster off tackle right at Burris.




 
http://vid809.photobucket.com/albums/zz11/mascho030916/ScreenCaptureProject95.mp4
 
 
The end zone view shows Burris at linebacker stacked over the left guard. The Texans run Foster on a simple lead play up the middle. Burris identifies the play, steps up into the hole, and then nothing happens. Burris – for lack of a better phrase – just throws his hands up and looks around for someone else to make a play. Specifically, as detailed in TWIR, he avoids the block, taking himself out of the play and making minimal effort to engage or fight through traffic. This is the first snap of the game and it looks as if Burris has already quit on the day. If the linebacker puts in a similar performance in Foxboro, New England must exploit it. If they do not, the fault lies with them.

 

[Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt]

Phenomenal stuff. Detailed, specific, clear. Any thoughts on why the Pats didn't pick up the phone for Woodson as a stopgap veteran presence at safety?

 

[mascho]

Thanks Mugsy.
 
As for Woodson, not sure him leaving Oakland was ever really an option. Would probably have required a bit of a bidding war, and I'm not sure New England wants to get in a bidding war over a 37 year old safety with some injury concerns (two broken collarbones in the past three years). 

 

[soxfan121]

Woodson made $3.3M in 2013 when all incentives/escalators were factored in and then signed a one-year extension for "similar terms" for this season. Figure the maximum is no more than $3.5M and that is heavily tied to playing time. At that number, he would the 12th highest-paid Patriot and fifth-highest on the defense. 
 
"Stop-gaps" make far less than that. And playing time is harder to secure in New England, where who you are matters less than how you play, than it does in Oakland (flush with cap space), which needs to sell tickets, a connection to the last time they were any good and are going to be picking in the top 10 again no matter what. 

 

[Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt]

Wow, didn't realize how pricey he was. Agreed, I wouldn't touch that deal with what a ten-foot pole - Stretch Polanski, tallest Pole you ever saw. (Copyright, Larry Gelbart or whoever.)