Improving Personnel Critical for Oakland Raiders to Run No-Huddle Offense

The Oakland Raiders are either incompetent or ingenious. New head coach Jack Del Rio and his handpicked offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave weren’t hot coaching candidates and have spotty resumes, but that didn’t deter a team that hires new coaches every couple of years like clockwork.

Fans are obviously hoping that somehow hiring Del Rio, Musgrave and what is likely to be a similarly uninspiring defensive coordinator will result in NFL success. On Monday, the first puff of white smoke billowed from the creosote-lined combustion chamber in Oakland.

Musgrave will implement a version of Chip Kelly’s no-huddle offense, according to ESPN Insider Adam Caplan. It’s a great idea but improving the personnel on the offense is going to be critically important to the success of such an idea.

There is a fine line between ingenuity and incompetence because coaches aren’t magicians. The best the Raiders can hope to get from Musgrave is a scheme that puts the talent they have in position to succeed. The no-huddle isn’t a cure-all for what ailed Oakland’s offense, but it can be a useful tool.

The question then becomes what personnel Musgrave needs to make his preferred scheme a reality. That’s general manager Reggie McKenzie’s job. Although Musgrave will try to bend his scheme around the players he has, finding players that fit the scheme is even better.

What kind of players fit a no-huddle offense? How many players do the Raiders need to make the offense dangerous?

To understand what types of players fit in the no-huddle offense, one must understand a few key concepts about the offense itself. The no-huddle offense requires the quarterback to call the plays at the line instead of in the huddle.

The intelligence of the quarterback is key if a team is going to run a no-huddle offense. Derek Carr appears to have all the tools necessary to be successful out of the no-huddle offense, but he’ll need support to make it work.

Speeding things up on offense also stretches the mental capacity of the entire offense to have plays called at the line of scrimmage. Since players are often rushing back to the line of scrimmage, wide receivers have to be able to maintain their mental focus when they are tired.

Although the increased repetitions in practice could help iron out the kinks, wide receivers that are making mental mistakes out of the huddle are only going to have more issues out of the no-huddle. Denarius Moore, Vincent Brown and Kenbrell Thompkins often struggled to get on the same page with Carr.

WR	Snaps	Targets	Interceptions When Targeted
James Jones	739	108	1
Andre Holmes	735	91	3
Kenbrell Thompkins	320	36	1
Brice Butler	278	34	1
Denarius Moore	237	25	1
Vincent Brown	134	20	2
Rod Streater	90	13	0

James Jones and Rod Streater have proven reliable over the past couple of years. Jones ran plenty of no-huddle with Aaron Rodgers prior to last season with the Raiders. Not only did Jones play the most snaps of any wide receiver in Oakland last season but also Carr only threw one interception in his direction. Carr lost Streater early in the season, but the two appeared to have a nice chemistry going early and in training camp.

Smart receivers are going to be able to take advantage of the mental mistakes by tired defenses out of the no-huddle. Similarly, defenses are also going to struggle to defend athletic freaks if they are tired.

Musgrave can scheme to get the ball to his playmakers in space much in the way he did wide receiver Percy Harvin when he was the offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. As we’ve found out, Musgrave’s usage of Harvin was actually among the best ways to deploy him, but he was also limited in that deployment by Harvin himself.

An athletic freak like Harvin is a welcome weapon out of the no-huddle offense, but it does make the offense somewhat predictable. Finding a playmaker who can quickly adjust to the NFL game in the draft or signing a veteran wide receiver is among the most important tasks for the Raiders in 2015.

There’s also an impact on the offensive line. Although not as sexy as the prospect of adding a playmaking wide receiver, the line has an important function in the no-huddle offense.

By not huddling, the offensive line is actually saving hundreds of yards of movement per game. Fresher offensive lines against tired defensive lines is a recipe for success in both the running and passing game.

However, there is additional stress on the offensive line on the road. The quarterback is going to make call the play and make pre-snap checks from the line of scrimmage so road games present a challenge with communication. The offensive line only has to worry about the protection call out of the huddle in many cases.

USA TODAY Sports

The quarterback has more time to read the defense and do what he needs to do before the snap, but if he isn't able to communicate quickly and effectively with the offensive line and his wide receivers, the extra time provides little advantage. If the Raiders struggle just to execute basic plays, as was often the case in 2014, they might not fair a lot better just because the team decides not the huddle.

The center can significantly help Carr on the offensive line. Stefen Wisniewski will be a free agent in March, so the Raiders will have to re-sign him or find a suitable replacement.

Musgrave’s idea to use the no-huddle is a great one because it’s a fantastic tool for defeating a defense, but only if the team has the right personnel and right quarterback. The Raiders appear to have the right quarterback but now they need to surround him with talent so it can really take flight. The no-huddle alone is not going to solve all of Oakland’s problems on offense, but it will help if general manager Reggie McKenzie brings in the right players.  

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via Pro Football Focus.