Time for Gruden and Raiders to adopt the Jacobs Plan
If one thing has become abundantly clear during this Raiders season, it is that this is Josh Jacobs’ offense.
Or at least it should be going into the 2020 season.
The question is, will Jon Gruden agree and continue to put resources around Jacobs?
Sunday’s eventual 20-16 loss was just the latest example of Jacobs’ star power. His 89 yards on 24 carries might not have been a spectacular day by the rookie’s now high standard, but it was better than it looked. And considering he did it with a broken shoulder, well, you can’t exhibit toughness better than that.
“He had a hard time getting his shoulder pads off yesterday and all I can say is I’ve coached a long time and I’ve had some really tough backs, really tough guys, and he is up there at the top of the food chain,” Gruden said Monday. “This guy is one tough customer, he gave us everything he had.”
When you also factor in that Jacobs was running, at times, behind three players who are below-average blockers in tight ends Darren Waller and Eric Tomlinson (just signed off the street), and backup right tackle David Sharpe, against a strong Jaguars defensive line, then Jacobs’ value is further enhanced.
On the third play of the game Sunday, Sharpe whiffed on standout end Calais Campbell, who had Jacobs dead-to-rights for no gain. Jacobs slipped him, broke a tackle from linebacker Donald Payne and gained 6 yards. That’s hidden yardage.
In all, Jacobs avoided eight tackles on his 24 attempts and picked up 72 yards — or 80.1 percent of his yardage — after first contact. That’s an astounding number and truly the measure of a franchise running back.
And he’s been doing it all season.
ProFootballFocus.com has a metric for running backs called their elusive rating, which is designed to show the impact of a runner independent of his blocking.
Jacobs’ rating this season is 103.6, which is 10.9 points better than Cleveland’s Nick Chubb. Seattle’s Chris Carson is the only other back above 80 (88.0).
Chubb put up a rating of 103.3 last season as a rookie, but he did it in 192 attempts. Jacobs has 242, which makes his rating even more impressive and more difficult to attain. They are the only backs in the past decade to come close to posting a rating of over 100.
In addition, Jacobs leads the league in avoided tackles with 69, and he sat out a game. Chubb (61), Christian McCaffrey (47) and Ezekiel Elliott (43) are among the backs far behind Jacobs in avoiding tackles, or making something out of nothing.
What the Raiders have in Jacobs is special, and they need to build their offense around him.
That will be an interesting dynamic. Coaches from the West Coast offense tree, like Gruden, can become enamored with their passing games and view their running games as a means to an end. They even view short passes as an extension of the running game. We’ve heard Gruden over the course of the season lament that he didn’t run the ball enough. That just won’t cut it next season. They need to build the team around him.
The No. 1 decision has to be to lock up left guard Richie Incognito, who will be a free agent. I’m surprised that hasn’t been done already, but perhaps Incognito wants to test free agency. There will be interest because he’s had an outstanding season. Along with center Rodney Hudson, Incognito has been a road grader for Jacobs, especially when he pulls on power runs.
Rookie fullback Alex Ingold is certainly a great piece to grow with Jacobs in the backfield — they could be the league’s best duo for years to come — but the wear and tear on Jacobs has shown the Raiders need to find a nice complement to him at tailback.
Both DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard will be free agents. Washington is solid as a No. 2 back, but the Raiders could probably do better at a cheaper rate in the draft. Richard is an excellent receiver as a running back, but he was expensive ($3.1 million this year) and may be looking for a raise.
The Raiders have a real chance to have a young and dynamic backfield if they play their personnel cards right.
If the Raiders are serious about a power running persona — and they should be — they should also be looking for a great run-blocking tight end. Waller will never be that (he had one of his worst blocking games on Sunday). Derek Carrier has certainly shown some promise this season, but general manager Mike Mayock should be trying to identify the NFL’s next great blocking tight end.
Put that player with Waller, and you’re talking about the next coming of the Patriots’ dynamic double tight-end duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. That was a nightmare for other teams to stop.
Jacobs, who shouldn’t play again this season with his shoulder issue, was arguably the best all-around back in the league this season as a rookie. And he has a chance to be great for years to come, if Gruden makes an effort to build his offense around Jacobs.
Time for the Raiders to embrace the Jacobs Plan.
More Raiders: Follow at vegasnation.com and @VegasNation on Twitter.
Greg A. Bedard covers the NFL for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at gbedard@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GregABedard on Twitter.
The best and worst performers for the Raiders vs. the Jaguars.
THREE UP
RB Josh Jacobs: His stats didn't look great but he was absolutely their best player on the field and exhibited incredible toughness through injury.
DE Clelin Ferrell: Didn't register one pressure but he showed vast improvement against the run.
OLs Rodney Hudson/Richie Incognito: I could not choose between them because they were both so good and combined to allow zero quarterback pressures.
THREE DOWN
K Daniel Carlson: Missed not once but twice with the game on the line. Might be time to put kicker on the list for 2020.
RT David Sharpe: Allowed a sack, three pressures and had a tough time in the run game.
TE Darren Waller: Had his worst blocking game of the season, including a sack allowed, and dropped a pass.
