Despite Team Struggles, Oakland Raiders Rookies off to Great Start

This was supposed to be the year that the Oakland Raiders escaped from the cellar of the NFL. The Raiders operated with a skeleton crew the last couple of years and without much success, but they brought in a few veteran swashbucklers in the hopes of stealing more victories in 2014.

Head coach Dennis Allen was supposed to captain the turnaround, but the Raiders started taking on water in Week 1 against the New York Jets. After doing battle with the Houston Texans in Week 2, they are now listing to one side so badly that it’s unlikely they will recover in time to have a successful season.

Despite the obvious disability, Oakland’s rookies are off to a great start. Everyone knows about rookie quarterback Derek Carr, who commandeered the starting job from Matt Schaub and is trying to navigate his own growing pains. Not everyone is aware that linebacker Khalil Mack and left guard Gabe Jackson are playing superb football just two weeks into their young careers.

Fans expected this from Mack because he was the team’s first-round pick, but because the defense hasn’t performed and he doesn’t have any sacks, it may seem like he has been a non-factor. In fact, Mack is one of the few Raiders defenders playing well.

Khalil Mack Attack

The Raiders have allowed 400 rushing yards in the first two games, which is by far the worst in the league. That reflects poorly on Mack, but it shouldn’t. The Raiders have multiple players in the front seven playing poorly against the run, but Mack is not one of them.

Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Mack has the highest run grade on the team and is fifth in the entire league at 3-4 outside linebacker. Mack also has eight true tackles, according to PFF, which is second among all the players at his position. Overall, Mack is currently the fourth-best 3-4 outside linebacker, per PFF, just ahead of Dwight Freeney and behind Terrell Suggs.  

On this 2nd-and-8 play in the second quarter against Houston, Mack fired through the gap at the snap and beat the tight end badly in the process. The refs called the tight end for holding Mack, which is part of the reason he wasn’t able to make the tackle.

NFL Game Rewind

Mack was the only player in Oakland’s front seven that Houston didn’t push off the line of scrimmage. Mack is too strong to be blocked by a tight end and often too quick for offensive tackles, which means teams may have to start giving their blockers help to slow him down.

Rushing the passer was not only supposed to be one of Mack’s strengths, but also where the Raiders could most use a playmaker. In Week 1, Mack wasn’t able to display his skills quite as he was in Week 2. Mack hasn’t gotten many opportunities to produce because the Raiders have been playing from behind.

On several occasions on Sunday, Mack made left tackle Duane Brown look silly. Brown was a first-team All-Pro as recently as 2012 and hasn’t been a pushover since, so making him look bad is saying something.

NFL Game Rewind

On this play, Mack’s outside move leaves Brown grabbing the air. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to slide up in the pocket away from Mack and make the accurate throw to Andre Johnson, but the quick pressure from Mack made it the only play the Texans could have made.

NFL Game Rewind

Later in the game, Mack used a quick inside move to put a hit on Fitzpatrick and force an incomplete pass. Again, Brown wasn’t equipped to handle Mack’s combination of speed and power. In this case, had Mack not put the heat on Fitzpatrick, he likely would have found one of his two open receivers on the play instead of forcing it to the back of the end zone.

Mack is also very aware of his surroundings and was able to bat down a Fitzpatrick pass last Sunday on a stunt. If Mack can build upon this performance, the Raiders and their fans should be very happy with the results.

Action Gabe Jackson

It can be hard to get excited about the play of a left guard. Fans are quick to blame the offensive line for protection issues and when the running game isn’t working, but they never get much of the credit when those things are going well.

When one is individually performing well, they get even less credit. This is despite the fact that some—like Jackson—are genuinely fun to watch play the game.

Jackson had the unfortunate duty of blocking 2012 Defensive Player the Year J.J. Watt on occasion last Sunday, which is a good challenge for any player. Jackson battled Watt like a seasoned veteran, which is a huge win for a rookie.

NFL Game Rewind

NFL Game Rewind

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson gushed about Jackson when asked to review him after two games on Thursday, via Raiders.com:

"

I think he’s doing fantastic. I really do. I commented yesterday after practice, I thought he had an extremely good practice yesterday. He’s got great practice habits, really works his craft and works his technique. He’s another guy, to me, like Derek (Carr) that’s one of those young players that I think will continue to get better each week with the more experience he gets.

"

All of Jackson’s experience thus far has been high-value experience. Jackson has had to block Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Watt in back-to-back weeks.

On a six-yard run by Darren McFadden, Jackson drives the defender at least five yards past the line of scrimmage. Jackson is a big guy at 6’3” and 336 pounds and he showed it here trying to clear a path for McFadden. Even though McFadden could have gained more yards by going left, great blocking by Jackson made it possible to get a solid gain.

NFL Game Rewind

In pass protection, Jackson has improved quite a bit in just the last few weeks. On a defensive line stunt, Jackson seamlessly switched from one blocking assignment to the next. Left tackle Donald Penn failed to do the same on this play and the linebacker ended up hitting Carr, which just highlights how subtly good Jackson is playing already.

NFL Game Rewind

Jackson is also versatile. The Raiders like to have him pull on power runs and have had good success doing so. For a man his size, he moves very well.

A loss in Week 3 to the New England Patriots may exhaust what little firepower the Raiders have left, and a trip across the high seas to play the Miami Dolphins Week 4 in London could sink the Raiders for good. The Raiders are gasping for air right now, but their rookies are just now starting to swim.