We are almost past the full bye for the Dallas Cowboys in terms of playing a game. Monday night, the Cowboys take on the Las Vegas Raiders. In preparation for the game, we asked five questions about the Raiders, and our sister site, Silver and Black Pride, answered.
Blogging The Boys: Obviously Geno Smith has struggled so far this season. What is the problem and will they just continue to stick with him?
Silver and Black Pride: In my opinion, Geno is playing like a rookie quarterback. He’s been staring down receivers and struggles to adjust when defenses roll their coverages post-snap, leading to the 12 interceptions that are the second-most in the NFL. He’s also been holding onto the ball too long and taking too many sacks. Granted, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly isn’t helping Smith out, as Kelly is running a college-style offense that is predictable.
As far as whether the Raiders will make a quarterback change, that’s a big question right now and I lean toward no. Geno is Pete Carroll’s guy, and Carroll has shown that he’s pretty loyal to Geno. I think if the coaching staff were going to make a change under center, they would have done it by now.
BTB: How would you have felt if the Raiders had traded Maxx Crosby? Would you have wanted the high picks, or to keep your best defender?
SABP: I’ve gotten to a point where if Crosby wanted and asked for a trade, I’d understand it and be willing to get some draft picks for him. He’s put up with a lot of losing and has played for five head coaches in seven seasons, if you count Rich Bisaccia’s interim stint in 2021. Then again, Crosby brings a lot to the team both on the field and as a leader. So, I never was and I’m not going to pound the table that he should be traded. But if he asks for a trade in the offseason, I think it’d be time for the Raiders to say their goodbyes and get draft picks for the upcoming rebuild.
BTB: Tell us everything we need to know about Ashton Jeanty and his rookie season.
SABP: Jeanty hasn’t put up the eye-popping numbers a lot of people were hoping for, but he’s been playing behind a bad offensive line, and he’s been better than what the box scores show. Through the first four games of this season, 101 percent of Jeanty’s rushing yards came after contact. I will say that he needed to be more patient to begin the year, and now, he’s kind of overcorrected and can afford to be more decisive/aggressive. But for the most part, the No. 6 overall pick has been good this year and is far from the biggest problem in Las Vegas. He just needs better or more consistent blocking to improve his stat line.
BTB: What’s the mood around Pete Carroll? Does his reputation buy him time, or are people already grumbling?
SABP: There’s a good portion of the fan base that wants to see Carroll be a one-and-done head coach. That’s understandable because he talked all offseason and training camp about how he expects to win and has won 10 games several times throughout his career, only for this season to be an absolute dud. As bad as the Raiders were last year under Antonio Pierce, they’ve regressed and are now facing a total rebuild while the head coach is 74 years old.
I think Carroll’s reputation will buy him another year in Las Vegas, though, partly because I’m sure Mark Davis doesn’t want to fire another head coach. The franchise has been in Las Vegas since 2020 and has already had five head coaches: Jon Gruden, Bisaccia, Josh McDaniels, Pierce and Carroll. That being said, it also wouldn’t surprise me if Pete steps down at the end of the season. His comments during recent press conferences suggest this has been a bigger project than he thought when taking the job, and he’ll be halfway to 80 in September.
BTB: How do you see Monday night’s game going and what’s your final score prediction?
SABP: I’ll go 35-24 Cowboys. The Cowboys’ defense is bad, but the Raiders’ offense might be worse, seeing as they haven’t scored 30 points in a single game this season. The closest they’ve gotten to that figure was a 29-point performance in a loss to the Jaguars, and that game went into overtime. On the other side of the ball, I don’t trust Las Vegas’ secondary and pass rush to keep Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in check. Outside of Crosby, the Silver and Black lack a lot of talent defensively.
Thanks for the knowledge, Silver and Black Pride.
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