1. Who’s the quarterback?
Derek Carr or Marcus Mariota? Who should be the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021? While Carr seems like the right choice at the helm, many other fans feel it should be Mariota. Both Quarterbacks bring different things to the table.
For example, Mariota, would be a perfect way to give the Raiders another dimension on their offense. Not only is that evident by his dangerous throwing ability, but also by his run game. As for Carr, he is more battle-tested, and gets injured less. He is also capable of putting somewhat better drives together than Mariota, further blurring the lines.
In the end, both guys would be great choices to start for the team, but fans need to accept whoever it ends up being. No more endless Quarterback debates, no more raging on Facebook about they made the wrong choice and questioning others fandom. All that is over. The only thing left to do is pick a quarterback and be done with it.
2. What’s the new approach?
Let s be honest here. The Las Vegas Raiders are very much in need of an identity and need to start establishing one during the offseason. Now, there are a variety of ways that the team can go with this, but one idea would be a multi-tiered running game. For example, let s go back to the idea of reliving Josh Jacobs and saving him for when he is actually needed.
While it will take the right moves in free agency or the draft to make this happen, it would relieve the offense, allow Carr some added strategy to his game, and give the Raiders a better shot at winning. Or maybe they make the defense their identity. Yeah, it would include replacing key players and a lot of moves during the offseason, but what if they could build a super team? A super team capable of demolishing any offense they meet. They would be the envy of their division, making them a very difficult opponent to go up against.
3. How will the defense improve?
Seriously though, how do you improve a defense that finished 30th in the league last year? Coach Jon Gruden believes he has the winning combination and just needs the team to gel, but what if that doesn t happen? Of course, it’s true that the Raiders were plagued with injuries and Covid-19issues, but the defense just never had a spark at all.
Gruden needs to create a new blueprint for the defense. Whether that includes trades, free agent signings or picking up college players in the draft remains to be seen, but something needs to happen with the defense this year.
4. What’s the plan to cut down on penalties?
It s no secret that the Raiders were one of the worst teams when it came to penalties, but what are they going to do about it? In all honesty, things need to start with a more disciplined team. A team that doesn t allow themselves to make these kinds of mistakes again and will do everything they can to make sure they are cutting down on them.
Let s be honest here. The team that took the field this season on both sides of the ball was nothing but a joke. Unfortunately for the team, most of it had to do with the amount of penalty yardage they would give up. Whether it was a false start, an illegal formation, roughing the passing, or too many men on the field, the Raiders gave up a lot of yards from these mistakes. Yards that could have been the difference between winning and losing.
5. What free agent moves need to be made?
While some fans in Raider Nation might think Derek Carr and Mariota are the options going forward, there is increasing speculation into a quarterback trade. This would see either Mariota or Carr go to the Texans in favor of Deshaun Watson.
In the end, a better Raiders team will be the results of making the right trades during the offseason, and this isn t one of them. The first thing they need to do is nail Nelson Agholor down to a contract, find a running back in free agency to relieve Joshua Jacobs and figure out who their starting quarterback should be. If nothing else, a quarterback trade just should not be on the radar right now.
