What happened to the Raiders?

A little over a year ago, the Oakland Raiders had one of the best seasons in the past decade, not only in terms of the franchise, but also in NFL History.

Most of that 2016-2017 was filled with exhilarating finishes - games that were defined by lead changes and amazing comebacks led by Derek Carr two minute drills, and Khalil Mack strip sacks. The 12-4 record does not do the year justice, but the franchise took an 90 degree turn on Christmas Eve of 2016, where Derek Carr suffered a broken leg.

Before I go and blame Carr for his share of this lackluster season, I have to give my take on the franchise's offseason moves, which have been completely backwards to the mission the team carried just a year ago. I'll go over these one-by-one:

1. Firing Bill Musgrave at Offensive Coordinator, and Hiring Todd Downing
   • It's impossible for me to understand this move. The Raiders had one of best offenses in the league! It was filled with firepower, from a roster that was not filled with proven talent up to that point. Bill Musgrave was the creator of that inexperienced offensive squad. I completely understand that Derek Carr deserved more control over the offense, but why fire the man that helped him get to where he was? More news since that decision has been made promotes the idea that Derek Carr and Todd Downing are best buddies, but obviously the result of best friends being the minds of the Oakland offense has gotten us nowhere.

1. Not Resigning Latavius Murray, and Spending Time Recruiting Marshawn Lynch
   • Latavius Murray was an incredibly explosive back, who deserved to get paid at least the starting average, if not more. He is still young, and he has proved himself to be a premier back in Minnesota (after rookie Dalvin Cook got hurt for the year). The Raiders were defined by young, raw talent who devoted their careers to getting the team back on track. Murray fit that bill, and they let him walk. They yearned for a back who took a year off, was supposedly "fresh" and still a beast. Lynch remains one of the best backs in the league, but he just has not produced the way he should. He is not getting the carries he deserves. It seems as though he runs the ball a few carries per drive, and then abandon the run. It's unsure whether this to the fault of the terrible Todd Downing's playcalling, or if Lynch is truly losing his stamina. There is one thing I know - if Latavius Murray was the starting back for the Raiders this year, the team and fanbase wouldn't have to worry about their starting running back's playcount.

1. Not Addressing the Linebacker Position
   • Why in the world would they not address the linebacker position?! Coming into the season, the starting linebackers were Cory James, Ben Heeney, and James Cowser. WHO? Pickups in the draft like 5th rounder Marquel Lee and free agent Nicholas Morrow stepped up, but not enough to cover the middle of the field whatsoever. The team had no plan coming into the season, and it honestly made no sense.

1. Not Adding Another Good O-Lineman
   • This isn't something I think the Raiders should have been thinking about, but in the back of their mind, they knew Marshall Newhouse wasn't going to be the permanent answer at the right tackle position. This was the most important year to keep Carr safe, knowing he came off a broken leg, and the o-line became less talented!

A ton of the blame deservedly goes to these moves the Raiders did - and didn't - make this offseason, however, there were many unprecedented challenges that can't go unnoticed. The team struggled with injuries across the board in the secondary, Amari Cooper disappeared for 10 games, and Carr throws the ball before looking past his first receiver half the time for some reason. This season has raised many eyebrows for Raider fans, and hopefully we get answers sooner rather than later.

The only thing that is certain - there is a lot of work to be done in order for next Christmas to be a little bit more enjoyable.