For the first time since Jon Gruden took over as head coach in 2018, the Raiders defensive line may really have something going. While the overall construction didn’t happen overnight, the success of the group may do just that thanks in large part to a new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli.
There is familiarity between Jon Gruden and Marinelli. They worked together in Tampa during Gruden’s time there as head coach. Marinelli was a holdover from previous head coach Tony Dungy’s staff and Gruden got the defensive line coach to stick around with a promotion to Assistant Head Coach, along with what Gruden calls “my best recruiting job of all time.” Marinelli would hold that position for five seasons before taking the head coaching job in Detroit.
Now some 15 years since they last coached together, the veteran defensive coach came available when the Dallas Cowboys made a coaching staff change. As soon as he was available, Jon Gruden jumped at the chance at a reunion.
“He’s a great coach,” Gruden said Monday from training camp of Marinelli. “He’s all business, he’s tough as hell, he doesn’t give in to tough times, he’s old school. And he’s also on the cutting edge every year in terms of how to rush the passer and play defensive line.”
Marinelli is certainly old school. And as much yelling as you hear from Gruden as well as Special Teams Coordinator Rich Bisaccia, Marinelli might outdo both of them. Even if media were allowed to report on what is said on the field, his words are far too explicit to repeat.
Marinelli brings a lot of experience and respect with him to the job. But he also brought over some players as well. It starts with new 3-tech DT Maliek Collins, who Gruden has said on a number of occasions is the “key” to this Raiders defense. It could be Collins’ 48 pressures last season that has him most excited.
The pressure isn’t just coming from the inside, but the edge rush could see even more improvement.
The Raiders needed to try and build up from last season, despite allowing Benson Mayowa and his seven sacks leave in free agency. They hope to replace that production with the addition of Carl Nassib, who had six sacks last season in Tampa.
Simply switching out players is one thing. Where the real improvement for any team comes is in homegrown talent. Their homegrown edge rush talent comes from last year’s draft.
Maxx Crosby was the team’s fourth-round pick and he took the league by storm, putting up ten sacks his rookie season.
The second-year phenom is constantly pushing himself. In warm-ups before practice and wind sprints after, whether their going half-speed or full speed, he always has to be first. It’s a philosophy for him, to “do a little bit more.” That’s what he wants in a coach as well.
“Coach Marinelli, the thing I love about him is he keeps it real and he pushes me every day. That’s one thing I want,” Crosby said Monday from training camp. “Just because I have one good year, I don’t want a coach that’s gonna tap me on the ass and be nice and overdo everything ‘hey, good job, Maxx’ I don’t want that, that’s not me. That’s not my personality. I love the way he coaches. I can’t wait for the season to get here because he’s getting us better every single day. He’s pushing us to new limits.”
While Crosby is looking to outstrip an already outstanding rookie season, his fellow draft classmate Clelin Ferrell is looking to make a big jump from what was considered a disappointing first year.
Last season the defensive line coach was Brentson Buckner in his first year with the Raiders after two previous defensive line coach jobs in Arizona and Tampa. And as Crosby described it, his coaching had Ferrell in his head and overthinking things. Marinelli has a very different approach which Ferrell is taking to.
“The biggest thing he told me is, you have to block out all of the noise,” Ferrell said of Marinelli’s advice. “You have to come in and be a leader and you just get off and I’m going to clean you up. That’s the biggest thing, I really love his teaching because he understands and appreciates that football isn’t a scientific thing at the end of the day. It’s a game that we love to play and you just have to go out there and play hard and play with disposition.”
Recently defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said Ferrell looks like a completely different guy. And I’d have to agree. He was already a specimen, and he looks even bigger now. And on the first day in pads, he showed his increased strength as well. There is a lot of optimism inside that building for what Ferrell will do this season.
“He’s a good player,” Gruden said of Ferrell. “He wasn’t a weakling last year. He’s a good player. I think Rod Marinelli has really helped all of our defensive line in terms of details and the effort and preparation is unique. He’s playing with great confidence now, he’s doing a couple different things, he’s going inside outside and so far, so good, but we got a long way to go.”
As much as the new additions of Collins and Nassib will help, it’s Ferrell’s improvement which could have the most considerable impact on the overall play of the defensive line. His development is crucial.
If Ferrell can approach double-digit sacks — which is to say live up to his draft status — the whole line looks very formidable. Down the line, there is solid starters and depth. With Ferrell, Crosby, Collins, and Johnathan Hankins as starters, and Nassib and Maurice Hurst behind them, there’s a lot to like.
And with the right coaching now in place, there’s every reason to be very optimistic about this group.
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