5 Scheme Adjustments the Oakland Raiders Should Consider in 2012

The new era of Oakland Raiders football will feature many prominent changes to the offensive and defensive schemes.

The return of the zone-blocking scheme has been a primary topic of discussion this offseason with the Raiders using the 95th overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft to select right guard Tony Bergstrom.

More of a mystery has been how the Raiders would incorporate the 3-4 defense. Dennis Allen thinks Tommy Kelly can play nose tackle and signs point to the Raiders using the 3-4 and 4-3 defenses in 2012.

Aside from the more-talked about scheme changes, there are several more the Raiders should consider in 2012.

Bootlegs and Rollouts

Lost in all the talk about the line-blocking scheme is the changes Greg Knapp will make to the passing game.

Knapp is one of the more run-oriented offensive minds in the NFL, but he can't totally ignore the emerging passing game in Oakland.

There is a misconception that the quarterback must be an athletic freak like Michael Vick to effectively execute a bootleg or rollout pass. Conventional thinking would question why the Raiders would want Carson Palmer to execute these types of plays. Palmer isn't a statue, but he's hardly a mobile quarterback.

That natural athleticism makes the bootleg or rollout more dangerous if the quarterback is a threat to run, but the bootleg and rollout are designed passes and can be effectively executed by a less mobile quarterback as long as the quarterback is fundamentally sound.

There is, however, a more important reason bootlegs and rollouts are used: The pulling guards in a bootleg or rollout pass mimic the action the defense might see on a run.

As a recent post on smartfootball.com explained, to effectively use play action, you better pull a guard.

Now, this isn't entirely true when it comes to the zone-blocking system, because the guards will not pull as much, but the slightest hesitation from the defense could open up one of the Raiders' speedy receivers downfield and simplify the read for Palmer.

Blitz

It has been said that Al Davis was not a fan of blitzing. I'm not sure anyone actually asked him directly, but the blitz was not something that was common in Oakland for the last 50 years.

That will finally change under head coach Dennis Allen and defensive coordinator Jason Tarver. Under the leadership of Dennis Allen, the Broncos were a blitz-heavy defense.

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“They blitz a lot. They’re always blitzing. It’s a very heavy blitz scheme.” - Tom Brady, responding to a question about the 2011 Broncos defense.

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The Raiders drafted Miles Burris and also brought in several undrafted players that were tweeners and could be rushers at the next level.

Philip Wheeler has been told he will get to blitz more by defensive coordinator Jason Tarver.

All signs point to a lot of blitzing, and for many fans, it's a change that has been long overdue.

Red-Zone Power Blocking

The zone-blocking scheme is not a bad scheme, but since Alex Gibbs pioneered the system in the 1900s, at least one weaknesses has emerged.

Stephanie Stradley of chron.com laid out the numbers and came to the conclusion that the zone-blocking system was less effective in the red zone.

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It really does look like the “zone blocking teams struggle near the goal line” thing is just true. - Stephanie Stradley, Chron.com.

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The Raiders should consider keeping power blocking elements in the game plan for this reason: We know the zone-blocking system can be effective, but why not alter the approach when the data supports just such a change?

Like the defensive line hyrbid the Raiders will utilize, it's probably a smart plan to use a varied approach. In this case, that would be keeping power-blocking schemes around for certain situations.

Red-Zone Passing

The Raiders should be able to move the ball between the 20s, but when it comes to putting the ball in the end zone, they need to pass.

It's a passing league and the best teams pass to score. The running game can get the Raiders into striking distance, but it will be how the Raiders can pass in the red zone that will determine wins and losses.

For the Raiders to become a passing team in the red zone, a red-zone weapon must emerge. Will a tight end rise to the occasion or can Darrius Heyward-Bey be the guy?

The Raiders have no shortage of offensive weapons, but potential doesn't win games or Super Bowls.

Hue Jackson got too cute with play-calling at times in 2011, but he had one thing right: The passing game had to get going for the Raiders to be legitimate playoff contenders.

A Pryor Offense

Terrelle Pryor sat on the bench for the entirety of the 2011 season with the exception of a false-start penalty. He was kicked out of college and suspended for violating the rules of the NFL supplemental draft.

A lot happened to the Pryor over the last 18 months.

In a recent interview with Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated, Pryor explained how he questioned if he loved the game and if he had a desire to play it, but is looking forward to a clean slate in 2012 under Dennis Allen. 

Matt Leinart was presumably signed to be Carson Palmer's backup, but regardless of where Pryor ends up on the depth chart, it would be unwise to let Pryor's athletic ability go to waste.

Pryor should have at least five scripted plays per game. Most of them can be designed runs, but a pass here or there would keep the defense honest.

Adding the running-quarterback element to an extremely fast offense could be deadly combination that defenses would have to account for each week.