.500 record speaks to how average Raiders were in 2020
There are always two sides to the what-if game.
If you say the Raiders were a few plays from being 11-5 this season, I’ll find you a few the other way that could have made them 6-10. If you say they should have beaten both the Chiefs and Chargers a second time and also survived the Dolphins, I’ll remind you about how close wins were to losses against the Chargers and Jets.
Turns out, Vegas sports books were smarter than everyone yet again.
The Raiders might have barely eclipsed their season win total (7.5) by finishing 8-8 and ended a streak of three straight losing seasons, but a .500 mark is fairly self-explanatory.
It all evens out. Productive on offense. Dreadful on defense.
Dead. Flat. Average.
No cruises?
Where things go from here is now the issue and I’m guessing headlines about Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs being arrested for suspected DUI after the team returned from Denver on Sunday isn’t how head coach Jon Gruden envisioned beginning the offseason.
(To that end, can someone please remind athletes in Las Vegas that there are companies called Uber and Lyft that would happily offer a ride for an agreed upon fare?)
There is no time to rest for Gruden and the Raiders when all three levels of the defense need improvement. When you’re really good on third-and-long and really bad on third-and-short. When you’re inconsistent enough to beat the likes of Kansas City and New Orleans, but lose to the likes of Atlanta.
When you go 6-2 on the road but 2-6 at home. When you can’t stay healthy. When you rank 23rd in penalties and 29th in sacks and 30th in scoring defense.
When players on a Monday conference call following a season finale win against the Broncos talk about things like accountability and responsibility and a need for there to be more of both from everyone in the organization.
“We can improve in every area,” Gruden said. “I know that sounds corny. We have to be a much more detailed football team … I think the high point for all of us was getting that first win on the road at Carolina – the first win in Las Vegas Raiders history. And then getting our first home win against the New Orleans Saints. We had some high moments.”
Another part of the what-if game: The Raiders weren’t alone this season in missing significant preseason time due to COVID-19. So while it’s correct to state many of their young players were indeed hurt by the absence of spring and summer practices, so too were those of 31 other teams.
Most just handled what was a historically bizarre season due to the virus better than the Raiders. Injuries certainly hurt Gruden’s side. Key players were missing weekly because they were either hurt or held out due to COVID-19 protocols.
Key free agent signings also underperformed. So too have draft picks on both sides over the last two seasons. Gruden must hire a new defensive coordinator. Decisions must be made on who to bring back in terms of salary cap.
Guys need to get bigger, stronger. Some need to learn that being available doesn’t mean just for games. Far too many missed time during the week, as well.
The list is long and comprehensive for how things move forward.
No excuses
“First, we have to come together as a whole,” said cornerback Trayvon Mullen. “We have to set goals and we have to set standards and create an identity. Start there and everything else, you can build on.
“You can have excuses, but it gets to a point of, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ That’s how I think. Those are my beliefs, and that’s how it is.”
He was actually responding to a question about the defense, but could have been speaking to the entirety of 8-8.
Folks tend to despise being labeled as average.
But that’s what the Raiders were in 2020. Dead. Flat.
No what-ifs about it.
Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.
