Tag: Brandon Parker

Raiders GM Dave Ziegler wanted to address O-Line in free agency, but the market ‘went a different way’

Raiders GM Dave Ziegler wanted to address O-Line in free agency, but the market ‘went a different way’

The Raiders made their share of blockbuster moves when the new NFL year started recently, from signing EDGE Chandler Jones in free agency to acquiring star wide receiver Davante Adams via trade.

But those were just the headliners, as Las Vegas improved in multiple areas thanks to the efforts of Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels. There’s still one area on the roster that looks a bit shaky, however, especially considering the team’s performance last season.

It’s the offensive line. Right tackle, specifically. Rather than outsource for a solution during free agency, Ziegler re-signed Raiders offensive tackle Brandon Parker, despite his career-long struggles.

At the NFL owners’ meetings in Florida on Monday, Ziegler said that he did in fact have his eye on a free-agent offensive lineman, but the market didn’t break the Raiders’ way. That’s according to a report from The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.

Ziegler said there was a free-agent offensive lineman that the Raiders were interested in, but “it went a different way so we went a different way.”

The “it” in the above paragraph refers to the free-agent market. Ziegler explained that in free agency, you never know how the market is going to go and you have to be ready to change strategies.

So Ziegler realizes the Raiders need help on the front line, but his plan was foiled. Making matters worse, Las Vegas traded its first two picks in the upcoming NFL Draft for Adams and can’t realistically address the O-Line issue there.

Not surprisingly, Ziegler was asked about Parker, since it appears he’s a fallback option. Here’s what Ziegler said, according to the same report from The Athletic.

“He has very good size, very good length, which are two important attributes at the offensive tackle position,” Ziegler said. “He’s an athletic guy for his size, and he is not a finished product. Brandon can continue to get better. He can learn from playing a lot of snaps last year. All these things were exciting.

“Those are all good traits to have in a guy that’s going to be playing … you know, have an opportunity to compete for a job at tackle position for us.”

It’s only late March, but it looks like Parker will get the first shot at the Raiders’ starting right tackle position, though he’s not a “finished product” by any means. He had some decent games late last season, but overall, Parker had a bad year, his fourth campaign since he was drafted by the Raiders in 2018.

Ziegler and McDaniels are clearly betting that Parker can improve. He has the measurables and raw physical ability that’s coveted for offensive tackles. That’s why the Raiders’ last regime actually traded up in the NFL Draft to select him.

But despite starting 32 games during his Raiders tenure thus far, Parker hasn’t improved much. With a new coaching staff, however, comes new possibilities.

Still, the Raiders would do well to look for better options all the way up to Week 1 of the NFL season. Parker might be bad enough to upend the Raiders’ plans on offense, especially with Adams and quarterback Derek Carr, who is slated to receive a new contract in Las Vegas.

Carr and Adams are good enough to work around issues on any offensive line, but when the games get tougher and each contest is decided on the margins, the Raiders will need better than Parker has shown in his career thus far. That goes for the run game as well.

But as I mentioned, it’s March, and NFL rosters are fluid. And hey, Parker could actually improve. Thankfully for the Raiders, it appears Ziegler is ready to call any audible he deems necessary.

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Raiders 2021 Season Ballers & Busters

Ballers & Busters for Raiders 2021 Season

The Raiders 2021 season ended a little over a week ago with their Wild Card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. So, now it’s time to tally up the scores and name out Season Ballers and Season Busters.

Ballers

DE Maxx Crosby

Ten times, Crosby was named a Baller and five of those times he was Top Baller. He consistently got pressure on the quarterback, finishing the regular season with over 100 pressures (101). Then, as you might expect, he was a Baller one more time in the team’s playoff game. He finished with eight sacks, 30 QB hits and 13 tackles for loss.

WR Hunter Renfrow

Eight times Renfrow was a Baller and three of those times he was Top Baller. He started strong and ended strong being named a Baller for the first four games and the last two with a couple in-between. He finished with 103 catches for 1038 yards and nine touchdowns.

P AJ Cole

Six times Cole was a Baller. Though being the punter, he was never Top Baller, he consistently did his job at the highest level and earned the team’s only First-Team All-Pro nod because of it.

K Daniel Carlson

Seven times a Baller and twice a Buster. Carlson was clutch late in the season when the Raiders needed him most. The Raiders were playing some close games. From the start of the Raiders’ four-game win streak to end the season along with their Wild Card matchup in Cincinnati, he didn’t miss. And had he missed any of his field goals, the Raiders wouldn’t have made the playoffs.

DT Quinton Jefferson

Six times a Baller, twice a Top Baller. Jefferson was part of a rotation at the defensive tackle spot. He distinguished himself more and more as the season went on to be named a Baller three times in the team’s final four games including the Wild Card game.

RB Josh Jacobs

A Baller eight times this season, with seven of them coming down the stretch. That’s what we call a strong finish. And to think he did much of it while suffering from a rib injury.

LB Denzel Perryman

A Baller six times and a Top Baller once. For most of the season, he led the league in tackles. He was even among the league leaders despite missing two weeks to injury.

DE Yannick Ngakoue

Six times a Baller and once a Top Baller. Though he seemed to fade down the stretch, including being rendered invisible in the Wild Card loss to the Bengals, he still finished with a team-leading ten sacks and his presence on the left side helped keep opposing offense honest, leading to better pressure numbers across the line.

CB Nate Hobbs

Hobbs was a Baller four times this season, including being named Top Baller in the team’s Wild Card matchup. The fifth-round rookie came in immediately and solved the Raiders’ issue with finding a slot cornerback.

Honorable Mention

CB Casey Hayward — Though he just missed the cut as a Season Baller, he was a solid starter for the Raiders at outside corner. He was named a Baller four times and a Buster twice.

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Khalil Mack wreaks havoc on Raiders clunky offensive line in loss to Bears

Khalil Mack wreaks havoc on Raiders clunky offensive line in loss to Bears

Sunday the Raiders were facing a couple of familiar foes. Both that used to be great strengths for the Raiders. And both teamed up to do the Raiders in.

One is Khalil Mack and the other is the Raiders own offensive line.

Mack was smelling blood in the water with the Raiders offensive line this week. And the Raiders tried to fix their leaking hull with parts on hand. It failed miserably and once again took the Raiders team down with it.

After the team’s 11th straight opening drive that failed to yield a score the team seemed for a moment like it might shake off their recent penchant for slow starts. They mounted a drive that led to a field goal to give them the first points in the game. But that drive also showed the team starting to unravel before our eyes.

Twice on the drive the Raiders had two players called for holding on the same play. And both times, it involved trying to block former Raiders edge rusher Khalil Mack.

This week the Raiders tried to help mitigate the impact Mack had on the game by making a change on the right side. Rookie Alex Leatherwood was moved from right tackle to right guard and Brandon Parker was named the starter at right tackle. Both players were flagged for holding on that drive along with left guard John Simpson and tight end Foster Moreau. It was Leatherwood and Moreau who were trying to keep Mack from blowing up the play.

The lead didn’t last long as the Bears took advantage of a questionable roughing the passer penalty on Yannick Ngakoue and drove for a touchdown. That gave the Bears the lead; one they wouldn’t relinquish.

The Raiders response ended with a Carr sneak on third and one that was stopped for no gain and a Josh Jacobs run that was stopped for no gain, again by Mack.

The Bears response was to drive for another touchdown. This one just flat out bully ball to take a 14-3 lead.

That would be the score at the half in part because of Leatherwood being flagged for holding again and Mack getting in the backfield to sack Carr.

The third quarter began just as the first quarter did for the Raiders offense — with a run stuff and a three-and-out.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Raiders would drive for their only TD of the game. But the offensive line along with Mack wouldn’t make it easy. Mack had two run stuffs in a row to force the Raiders to go for it on fourth and one. And with the lack of push on the offensive line, it didn’t look like the Raiders converted, but the officials ruled it a first down and there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn it so it stood.

A roughing penalty gave the Raiders a first and goal from the one-yard-line and Josh Jacobs was able to dive over the line for the score. Down, 14-9, Gruden opted to go for two. And Mack flew past Brandon Parker to sack Carr again. This time, Mack had a message to send, flashing the “O” to the Vegas crowd. He clearly still has love for the fans in Oakland where he spent the first four seasons of his NFL career.

The Bears would answer with a long drive for a field goal to go up 17-9.

It was still a one-score game, but it would require the Raiders to drive down for a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the final 2:45. Carr was then sacked on first down and Brandon Parker was flagged for a false start on third and 12. The fourth down pass for Bryan Edwards sailed over his head and the game was all but over.

Another Bears field goal would ice it for the final score of 20-9.

The offensive line continued to not get any push and the team finished averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. That’s also what Josh Jacobs had on 15 carries (46 yards) and what he is averaging on the season. After the game, he expressed some frustration at the lack of running room.

“I watch film and sometimes on plays I’m like… I don’t know what y’all want me to do.’ Honestly,” Jacobs said of the run game. “But I’m very optimistic about the guys getting better and I believe in the guys. I see the way the way that they work each day so I think it’s just a matter of time before we start putting the pieces together. A lot of them guys are young, this is their first time really playing on this level. So I’m just going to keep trying to inspire them to want to be better.”

Jacobs was teammates with Alex Leatherwood at Alabama and noted that the rookie lineman hasn’t played guard in several years.

Leatherwood’s issues and rusty play at guard doesn’t really explain the play of Parker or why Gruden lined up a tight end one-on-one with Mack so often. The result being Derek Carr was sacked three times (four if you count the failed two-point conversion), and the Raiders offensive line had six penalties.

“Obviously we’re trying to find our right mix up front. And I’m not going to put it on the offensive line, but it was [Brandon] Parker’s first game starting today, Alex Leatherwood moved in to right guard. We’re trying to find the right mix. We’re struggling right now to run the football and obviously our pass protection has to get better as well.”

Gruden also used injuries to Richie Incognito, Denzelle Good and even Kamaal Seymour as excuses for the shoddy play at guard. But really this was several trades that came back to haunt him.

The big one, of course, being trading away Khalil Mack before he ever played a game for him. Then this offseason sending away Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson which has played the biggest role in the offensive line issues and helped allow Mack to get his revenge; both on Gruden for the trade and being kept under wraps in the Bears loss to the Raiders in London in 2019.

The All Pro edge rusher finished second on the team with 8 combined tackles (seven solo), one sack (and another on the two-point conversion attempt), a tackle for loss, and a QB hit. And, of course, the penalties he forced.

Meanwhile his former draft classmate Derek Carr barely got over 200 yards (206) and had his worst passer rating (67.1) since week 11 of 2019.

Raiders change up right side of offensive line starters vs Bears

Raiders offensive line right side shuffle is official as Alex Leatherwood starts at RG vs Bears

This week in practice the Raiders were working Alex Leatherwood at right guard, moving the rookie top pick from right tackle where he started the first four games of this season. With Leatherwood practicing inside, Brandon Parker stepped in to start at right tackle.

At the time offensive coordinator just said they were experimenting, trying to find the best five on the offensive line. That continues in the game as Leatherwood and Parker are starting at right guard and right tackle respectively.

The team opened the season with the right side featuring Denzelle Good at right guard with Leatherwood at right tackle. Then Good went out injured and veteran newcomer Jermaine Eluemunor stepped up at right guard to start the past three games.

Olson said the Raiders were trying to find the best five along the line, and the coaches had said in the offseason that they felt like they had three starters at tackle in Kolton Miller, Leatherwood, and Parker.

Leatherwood leads the lead in sacks allowed (4) and penalties (6) through four games. He hasn’t played like a starter at tackle, so the Raiders are seeing if he can play like one at guard and see if Parker can handle tackle duties. He’ll do so against Khalil Mack and the Bears today.

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Raiders RT Alex Leatherwood being evaluated for back strain, status up in the air vs Dolphins

Raiders T Alex Leatherwood has a back strain and his status is in doubt vs Dolphins

Alex Leatherwood saw just under half the Raiders’ snaps on offense Sunday (31) before he left the game and was replaced by reserve swing tackle Brandon Parker. It was called an oblique injury at the time. In case you’re wondering, those muscles are on the belly and around the sides of the abdomen.

Monday, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden gave somewhat of an update on the status of Leatherwood’s injury.

“We’re going to call it a back strain,” Gruden said. “So, he’s being evaluated as we speak and we’ll list him as questionable until we get further information. But we need our right tackle for sure.”

Leatherwood was the team’s selection at 17 overall in this year’s draft out of Alabama. He has started at right tackle the first two games, but his third start is in jeopardy.

Parker ended up seeing the majority of the snaps (53%) and seemed to play well. While Leatherwood struggled with penalties and gave up a strip-sack on Derek Carr early in the game. It’s certainly possible those performances also play a part in how crucial it is that Leatherwood make the start in week three when the team faces the Dolphins.

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Allen Robinson’s agent clarifies he hasn’t requested a trade from Bears

While Bears fans can breathe a sigh of relief with trade rumors being shot down, Robinson remains frustrated with contract negotiations.

Tuesdays are usually quiet for the Chicago Bears, but this day has been eventful from the start to the near finish.

Bears receiver Allen Robinson made headlines early Tuesday morning after removing images associating him with the team from his Twitter and Instagram, which raised some eyebrows considering it’s no secret that he’s frustrated with how contract negotiations have gone.

Some of Robinson’s teammates, including Tarik Cohen, Anthony Miller and Darnell Mooney, took to Twitter to express their desire for the organization to sign Robinson to an extension, which really isn’t a good look for general manager Ryan Pace.

But things really ramped up when reports surfaced that Robinson, who’s in the final year of his contract, had inquired about a trade. It naturally sent Twitter ablaze with frustrated Bears fans and hopeful fans of teams in need of a No. 1 receiver like Robinson.

Although ESPN’s Adam Schefter got some clarification on the matter from Robinson’s agent Brandon Parker. According to Parker, Robinson has not requested a trade, which means Bears fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief…albeit, a small one.

There’s still the fact of the matter that the Bears’ best offensive player is unhappy about progress on contract negotiations, where Pace seems unwilling to pay him what a No. 1 receiver deserves.

Robinson’s price tag has only increased as other players have gotten extensions like year, including most recently Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen, who signed a four-year, $80 million extension.

There’s no doubt that Robinson has more than played himself into a contract extension with the Bears. Robinson recorded a 1,000-yard season in one of the league’s worst passing offenses last year.

While Bears fans can breathe a small sigh of relief with trade rumors being shot down, this thing is far from over. Unless Pace finally comes to his senses and inks Robinson ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

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Winners and Losers for Raiders in Week 15 versus Jaguars

Raiders wire takes a look at the Winners and Losers from the terrible loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the last game in Oakland.

Well, that was an awful way to close the coliseum. The Oakland Raiders didn’t show up in the second half allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars to come back from a 13 point halftime deficit to win the game 20-16. This is the Raiders’ fourth loss in a row after a surprising 6-4 start but now has come back to life.

The Raiders offense came out hot with their usual first drive score, but after that was nothing but field goals even when they moved the football. They were completely shut down in the second half with all four possessions leading to no points and kept the Jaguars in the football game. The Raiders are starting to match their point differential to equal out how bad they are.

The defense put up the best performance they could holding the Jaguars to 4.9 yards per play. However, the defense is not good enough to hold any offense under 20 points and allowed three second-half drives that were either field goals or touchdowns. Even with decent individual performances for the defense, the secondary is too beat up to hang with any football team.

Who were the winners and losers for Week 15? Not many winners with this terrible loss closing the Oakland Coliseum.

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