Now let me preface this by saying, I don’t want any hostility towards anyone here. This is a genuine discussion I want with you all as this seems to be the big topic now entering the bye week.
Looks like AOC won’t be the guy (I feel this even with what I have to say), dude is just too immobile for todays NFL and just doesn’t have the arm to be a true Raider QB. We NEED downfield accuracy, it’s why I feel so many were able to put up with Carr for so long cause he could throw dime 60+ yards. Don’t get me wrong, AOC is a solid player and I hope he can fix his woes, but that’s up to him and his work ethic cause those issues are physical and mechanical. However, a lot of it has to do with habit and muscle memory which is a tough task to rewrite so it’s not likely he succeeds here unless we hire some QB guru.
With all that being said, us as a collective of fans have now shifted our crosshairs toward the future and have begun discussions on which QB to take in the draft. Last year and into this year, people were clamoring about how this QB class was a great one and had some depth to it unlike last year. Unfortunately, each game I see or hear about just gives me less and less confidence in it. Quarterbacks entering the NFL are such a crapshoot and I’d really hate to waste resources and the time our stars have here trying to get some poor kid to quickly acclimate to everything the job of an NFL QB comes with.
Let’s look to Andy Reid and the Queefs, they picked up Alex Smith and he did what was asked of him while the FO built a team around him that could keep the team at a playoff level as long as the signal caller was anyone who could play at an above average level. This is a strategy Raider Nation MUST employ.
As of now, our biggest areas of need outside the QB position are (in no particular order): Offensive Line, interior D-Line, CB1 & both Safety positions. We need an immediate impact player at one of these positions in the upcoming draft or it’s just gonna be more of what we’re seeing now, next year. Simple focusing on our needs in the trenches alone would pretty much give this team the juice it needs to be a playoff contender.
Given some of the names at QB going into FA (Cousins, Tannehil, Mayfield), I just dont see why it would be a big deal to get one of these guys while we build up this team and get them to a competitive, playoff level of football so that way the QB won’t have to be asked to do much. Tell em to do their best Trent Dilfer and trust the team and system around him to do most of the work. That way we don’t have to try so hard to “pick the right guy” and instead let the right find come to us like Mahomes did with the Chiefs. I think a lot can be said when a team is more relaxed at picking their future because they e got everything else secured. Most teams in huge distress and dysfunction tend to make sloppy decisions because they need to act now. We can avoid this if we just get this team to be complete with a game manager.
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We’re clearly only a QB away from greatness.
Leader O’Cola is our guy down the stretch regardless. If we go 3-2 or better he deserves to be the guy next year.
Waiting for a Mahomes is a fools game. Sure, I’d love to wait until the best player to come from the draft since Brady is available. The reality is every year the QB class is highly unknown until that season before. This class gives us prime position to draft a guy in the teens that has a higher possibility of being good than most years. Our O line is not as bad as people keep shouting about. Yes, it needs help, but this exact unit was top 10 to finish the year last season. AOC just takes 88 seconds to decide to throw the ball.
That being said, what I care about most is that whatever FO we get, they draft someone they truly believe in and not just swing to swing.
Bring back Bars. Clearly he is the missing piece.
/s
The QBs that win this league now scramble. We need a scrambler.
idk why you’re downvoted, mobility is 100% important
Qb is the most important position on the field. We have 3 bad-mid ones.
Draft a qb later in the draft. I like Jalen Milroe from Alabama. Way underrated.
I don’t think he’s in the draft class
I’d assume it’s to keep the offense competitive. We got Adams and maybe JJ again so bringing in one of those FAs may just be a waste overall.
Obviously drafting a QB in the first is always a risk, but it seems there’s enough talent this year to truly entertain the idea of drafting one.
Your 4th paragraph overrides your 2nd one a bit.
AoC would be our “Alex Smith”. Since he’s started he has shown a great ability to throw dime passes into tight windows. He’s utilized multiple recievers each game, and can actually make reads and checks.
Yes, there’s been mistakes. But he’s a rookie. Josh Allen throws picks like candy, Russell Wilson looks like ass half the time, Mahomes does what he does because he’s basically a running back with a cannon, and he has a hall of fame tight end to throw to. Hell Tua looked mortal when he played us.
Tom Brady was a pocket QB that dominated with his mind. Mahomes gets teams because he’s basically an extra skill player that offsets the defensive matchup. After those 2 guys that can carry teams to relevance, everyone else is down at the “team game” tier. Meaning they are winning and losing based on how the rest of the team plays, not just the QB.
Our team has superstars, but we don’t have a the filled in roster “studs” yet. I.E. the other guys that can help hold up the ship. Our offense has Josh Jacobs, but they consistently can’t get a heavy push forward and he’s running into a wall most of the time. Our receivers are great, but even they can’t find separation in time before the pressure gets home or close to it. The times the line holds, we’ve gotten some amazing plays though. Overall offense line consistency is not on a high enough level.
Our Defense is playing amazing recently. But they still need to go up a tier. Maxx Crosby is the only true #1 on that side. Amik and Hobbs are doing great along with Spillane. But that leaves 8 spots that you don’t hear of much on the highlight tape.
Our defense still let’s at least one guy have a career day, and our turnovers still need massive improvement.
Our biggest need is at least 2 absolute maulers at DT. Some people that can cause havoc in the middle so that Maxx doesn’t have to twist inside and allow the QBs to scramble to where he just was. We need 3 more offensive lineman that are smart, strong and have the technique. Our secondary can always use upgrading. A safety that is everywhere, and a true “glue” corner.
If a Superstud QB actually rears up, and is available sure. Not like it wouldn’t help.
But what I’d most like to see is ownership recognize the immediate culture difference and the foundation that’s been built quickly, and continue to build upon that. Put 12 more household names on the roster, not just one.
Because the good teams in today’s NFL have QBs that can extend plays and/or flat out be a running threat. Except maybe a few teams with amazing defenses or a multitude of offensive weapons neither of which we have right now. Mahomes, Hurts, Allen, even Stroud. Todays game requires you avoid sacks, make smart dump offs when the defense over commits and most importantly, can outrun d lineman.
Bro what?
why is everyone so adamant on a QB in the draft?
looks like AOC won’t be the guy.
Looks like you answered your own question there, bud.
Because getting lucky with a QB in the draft is the most beneficial thing that can happen to a franchise. You essentially have 5 years of your most expensive position being one of the lowest paid stars on your team.
If this draft wasn’t so ripe with potential great QBs I would agree that we could roll with AOC for a little while longer and build the rest of the team but we just gotta take a chance with one of these guys. Unless we win out and play our way outta that draft spot. Even then, might be worth it to trade up. QB round 1 center round 2 is what I would do.
Because you don’t move on from Carr for Jimmy G or AOC. The goal is a franchise qb and AOC isn’t that. You keep swinging until you find him.
It just depends on what our options are. You have to have a elite QB to win a title in today’s NFL and it’s a deep class this year.
If there’s a guy whoever the GM and Coach are think is the elite QB for their system and they can get him with our 1st pick, or by say trading Adams to the Jets for their first (if they’ll give it up), and bundling that with our 1st to move up, they should do it.
Only think I’m opposed to is given up any more picks than that in any trade to move up for a QB as we need to fill a lot of wholes on OL, DL, Secondary etc. But a lot of that can happen in rounds 2 and later–we’ve lately missed a ton on 1st round picks in those positions anyway (leatherwood, Ferrell, maybe Wilson etc.).
That said, it’s not a must do either. If there’s a player at another position the next GM and coach think is a must get with the first round pick, then they should go for that. Maybe a QB they like will be there in the second and third to compete with AOC. Plenty of great QBS weren’t first round picks.