Oakland Raiders: Chuck Bresnahan Is the Weakest Link

The phrase "defense wins championships" has been proved time and time again in the NFL

But in the Oakland Raiders' case? The defense is a huge thorn in the side of an offensive bully.

The problem stems from the defensive play-calling, Chuck Bresnahan in particular. Against the New England Patriots, Bresnahan brought out a quarter defense; for the football ignorant, a three man pass rush and a whole lot of defensive backs.

As Jon Richie would say, "a bonehead call."

The one thing everyone who pulled for the Raiders against the Patriots had in common was the opinion that Oakland's pass rush would need to be completely effective in the form of the defensive line creating havoc in Tom Brady's face as well as the multiple blitz packages that Oakland can offer. Hitting Brady is the key to beating the Patriots.

Sure, Oakland was able to hit Tom Brady—after the whistle. Richard Seymour's early penalty can be excused, the crowd was loud and in the heat of the moment the whistle might of not made it to him, understandable. But for the rest of the game, Oakland's pass rush, which is usually highly praised due to the beasts that make up the front four, was nowhere to be seen.

Mike Mitchell is the only player to sack Brady, a busted play that saw the quarterback actually scramble and head out of the luxury of the pocket, only to be downed by Mitchell as he took a dive.

The defensive play-calling is terrible. There is simply no better way to put it. With the athletes on defense under contract with the Raiders organization, this defense is supposed to be high caliber and top notch.

The Raiders have all the tools to be dominate, but the problem stems from the defensive coordinator.

Chuck Bresnahan was fired from Cincinnati after being there from 2004 to the 2008 NFL season due to having three stagnant years as defensive coordinator. His defenses finished in the bottom of the league between 25 (not in chronological order) 30.

How does that quality this man for the job to steer our defense into the right path?

Oh, from 2000 to 2003, Bresnahan was the defensive coordinator, the season the Oakland Raiders faced off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.

Understandably, Coach Jackson wants to surround himself with those he is familiar with. Al Saunders and Chuck Bresnahan both worked with Coach Jackson in Baltimore, but Coach Jackson's saying, "the best man for the job" is not applying to the coaching staff.

There is a lot of problems with Oakland's defense, from injuries to failures in second-half adjustments. While putting so much blame on the coaches can only go so far before the players need to be analyzed, Bresnahan is not helping the matters.

When Oakland traveled east to battle the Buffalo Bills, a "prevent" defense was apparent—a defense which short slants will shred every time due to the space given. Bresnahan squandered a 18-point lead with horrible calls, which showed up against the Patriots.

Explaining the failure to neutralize the run is task that not even Rolando McClain can do. But the pass? Blame goes directly to Chuck Bresnahan for that.

Who allows a rookie in Chekwa (definitely a good player, he will come to his own) or a constantly unreliable Joe Porter to match up against the most deadliest receiver in the NFL from the slot position? Welker accumulated over 150 yards on a rookie and a guy that should be on the practice squad.

No adjustments.

The only way the Oakland Raider team as a whole will get better is by the defensive coordinator taking off the silver and black colored lenses and seeing the problem. The players on the depth chart are perfectly able to make plays, but they need to be given the right formations to work out of.

This is not a protest for Bresnahan's head, this is the opposite. This is a plea from an Oakland Raider supporter to tell Chuck Bresnahan that he needs to right the defensive ship or Oakland will face another horrible offseason beginning after Week 17 instead of moving on to postseason play.

Fix the defense, it's your job. Hue Jackson may have faith in you, but The Raider Nation is beginning to lose patience, which means Mr. Al Davis is beginning to smell the stench of failure in the air and when that happens?

Someone loses their job.