The Marshall Plan: A New Leader For The Oakland Raiders Defense

Remember that post WWII recovery program that the United States implemented to rebuild Europe? Sixty-two years later, a new Marshall Plan is underway that will attempt to fix the worst run defense in the NFL last year. Raiders defensive coordinator John Marshall, a 40-year coaching veteran with 29 seasons in the NFL, has seen every blitz, stunt, press, and zone known to man. He has been a part of two Super Bowl winning teams and a National Championship winner at the collegiate level. The Raiders represent Marshall’s fifth go at defensive coordinator in the NFL.

 Ask those who have been associated with Marshall’s past defenses and they seem to suggest that he has one major philosophy: Master Fundamentals. In researching Marshall, it became very clear that his approach thus far with the Raiders, as with many of his defenses, has been to preach fundamentals until the team is sick of hearing it. Former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was well known for trying to scheme in a way that gave his best defensive players a chance to make plays. Under Marshall, it appears the Raiders defense will be more predicated on making plays as a unit. In a recent article by NFL writer Jerry McDonald, Head Coach Tom Cable summed up what he thought Marshall could bring to the Raiders:

 “What it gets down to is I think we have some talented players on defense, and so getting them in the right place and them understanding what you’re asking them to do, and teaching how to play the game with their hands, and how to tackle, and how to blitz and how to cover the right way,” Cable said. “If you ask me what’s going to be different, that’s how we’re going to be different. We’re going to coach it and teach it better.”

Marshall cares deeply about playing physical team defense and he demands that his players are tough and accountable. If Marshall is to have any success at improving the run defense next year, the Raiders will have to buy into these principles. So far, it seems like that is happening. Linebacker Thomas Howard thinks Marshall is already making an impression. From McDonald’s article:

“He’s been around the game for so long, he’s seen it when teams went (1-15) and he’s seen it when teams were (15-1),” Howard said. “He’s been to the big dance. He’s been at the top three in defense. He’s been in the bottom three in defense. He’s seen it all.”

Ask fans of Marshall’s former team, the Seattle Seahawks, and you might feel like the Raiders got more trash than treasure. Last season, Seattle finished 30th in the NFL in total defense after finishing 9th in 2007. However, some of Seattle’s defensive problems could have been the result of a very poor offense that did not stay on the field for very long. It’s also worth mentioning that Marshall’s Seahawks managed to put up some very impressive numbers during his time there including a stretch from 2005-07 where the Seahawks led the league in sacks and featured numerous pro-bowlers. Even last year, the Seahawks finished 10th in the league in sacks despite being 30th in total defense. This is great news for Raiders fans that grew tired of Rob Ryan’s maddening approach to the pass rush at times. If Marshall can find the right mix along the front seven to produce consistent pressure, it will be a tremendous step in the right direction. A player like Trevor Scott may be a perfect fit for Marshall’s pass rush schemes. There is also evidence that Marshall may be the answer to the Raiders run stopping issues. In 2005, the year the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl, Marshall’s defense allowed only one 100 yard rusher the entire season, as well as ranking 2nd in red zone defense, and in rushing touchdowns allowed.

So can we expect to see the worst run defense in the league last season improve even though the personnel is largely unchanged? Will it take safeties playing up at the line, such as 2nd round pick Mike Mitchell? Will it take more work in Free Agency? Will Nnamdi Asomugha continue to flourish in this new system? Hopefully, all of these issues will be resolved positively under the Marshall Plan.