Hackett and Tollner Must Develop JaMarcus Russell for Raiders to Succeed

Sometimes a team shows confidence in a player through their efforts to build around that player.  A team will devote the majority of its efforts to provide an environment for success.  But sometimes it can also signify a lack of trust if the team tries too hard.

The Oakland Raiders’ decision to hire essentially two quarterbacks coaches is probably a mixture of both.

Quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett is the man officially tasked with the growth and development of quarterback JaMarcus Russell.  Helping Hackett is passing game coordinator Ted Tollner.  Tollner is not the offensive coordinator, he’s just there to work on the passing game.

Or reading between the lines, he’s there to be another babysitter for Russell.

There’s actually very little to criticize with that decision.  It’s mostly just an unusual situation.  But there is no denying that the Raiders fully understand that the franchise goes wherever Russell can take it. 

And both Hackett and Tollner have been fairly successful with their quarterbacks in their previous jobs this decade.

 

Paul Hackett

Hackett was the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 2001-2004.  After that stint, he spent the 2005-2007 seasons as quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  In both stops he’s done a good job with the quarterbacks for the most part.

With the Jets, the worst season was 2001 when Hackett had an aging Vinny Testaverde running the offense.  But even then Testaverde was throwing at a 59 percent completion rate. 

He just had a poor touchdown to interception ratio (15-14), which was always a problem for him.  Once Chad Pennington took over in 2002, Hackett had him playing as one of the better quarterbacks in the league.

Granted, Pennington and Russell are very different quarterbacks.

But it is nonetheless positive that Pennington’s lowest completion percentage under Hackett was a respectable 63.6 percent in 2003.  Hackett can help to work on Russell’s accuracy, which has been his biggest problem so far. 

If Russell can even improve his completion percentage to 60 percent, that would be a major increase over his 2008 rate of 53.8 percent.

And this jump isn’t totally unfeasible.

When Hackett moved to Tampa Bay in 2005 he guided Chris Simms to a 61 percent completion rate in his first year as a starter.  So Hackett is capable of helping a young quarterback get to that 60 percent plateau.

The only concern is current Raiders third stringer Bruce Gradkowski, who had Russell-like numbers during his starting stint under Hackett in 2006.  Gradkowski only completed 54 percent of his passes that season with a measly 65.9 quarterback rating. 

Granted his only legit receiver was Joey Galloway and he had no real second option, but Russell also faces similar issues in Oakland.

It will be up to Hackett to mold Russell into a quarterback more likely to mimic Simms’ season and not Gradkowski’s.  Improving Russell’s accuracy will help the Raiders sustain drives and prevent teams from stacking the box to stop the run.

Unless Russell is able to hit his receivers, it will be another long year on offense.

 

Ted Tollner

Tollner has not been as statistically successful as Hackett, but he’s also worked with inferior talent.  He was the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterbacks coach in 2002-2003, offensive coordinator in 2004, and quarterbacks coach again in 2008.  Between those jobs he was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit lions for 11 games in 2005.

He’s also worked with another Raiders backup, coaching Jeff Garcia for two years in San Francisco.  Garcia was an average quarterback for those years, hitting lows in 2003 with a 57.4 completion percentage and 80.1 quarterback rating.  In 2004 Tim Rattay was the leading quarterback with a 60.9 completion percentage and 78.1 rating.

Those three years can only be summarized as inconsistent, but again the Rattay situation bears more weight.  Tollner is looking to develop Russell in the passing game, and again there’s hope that he can reproduce a 60 percent completion rate for a young player.

Even Tollner’s short stint in Detroit has some positives.  Then quarterback Joey Harrington had a pedestrian year with a 72 quarterback rating while completing just 57 percent of his passes.  The absurd note here is that Harrington’s 57 percent rate in 2005 was actually the highest during his time with the Lions.

So if Tollner can improve Joey Harrington with the Lions, there shouldn’t be anything stopping him from helping Russell.

Last season was just another example of a young quarterback having some success under Tollner.  49ers leading quarterback Shaun Hill was 12th in the league with an 87.5 quarterback rating and 62.8 percent completion rate.  Solid numbers for a quarterback getting his first chance to start some games.

It is still not quite clear what Tollner’s exact role is in Oakland.  But even if he’s just there to be another pair of eyes to harp on Russell’s fundamentals, it will still be a positive influence.

Overall the Raiders have brought in experienced coaches in Hackett and Tollner with successful track records with quarterbacks.  So there is reason to believe that JaMarcus Russell might turn the corner and develop into a consistently solid player.  But the pressure will be on the two coaches to improve Russell’s game in 2009.

Help him, Hackett and Tollner, you’re the only hopes.

Man in the Middle: Some Questions for Kirk Morrison

Linebacker Kirk Morrison has been a model of consistency for the Oakland Raiders in their recent years of instability.  He’s been the team’s leading tackler every year since becoming a starter early on as a rookie in 2005.  Morrison is one of the unquestioned leaders of the defense.

But that defense also happens to be one of the worst in the league at stopping the run.

As the Raiders look to turn their fortunes around in 2009, the run defense will once again be under close scrutiny.  In the search for answers, Morrison has proved to be a capable spokesperson.  He is articulate, unrelentingly positive, and forthcoming.

In other words, an ideal interview subject.

Here are some questions I would ask him if given the chance.  Each question has a possible follow-up since most often the best nuggets are found there.  Of course, it is impossible to know his answers, but it’s all in the name of preparation.

 

1.  What’s been the attitude of the team during the offseason with Tom Cable returning as Head Coach?

A general, open-ended question to ease into conversation and just have him start talking a bit.

• Follow-up: How is it different this year knowing that there’s no internal drama at the Head Coach position?

 

2.  You’ve mentioned before that closing out last season with two wins was a big boost, how is that carrying over so far for the team? (Sources here and here)

Carrying on the theme of getting the pulse of the team, but I would still expect something vague given his previous answers talking mostly about the positive feeling.  Which leads to:

• Follow-up: Was there anything specific that worked on the field in those last two games that can be successful again?

 

3.  One of the big defensive issues over the years has been the run defense.  What has new Defensive Coordinator John Marshall done so far to address that?

Starting to focus in on the run defense to get to more personal questions, but still addressing one of the major changes in the offseason.  But the big item here is still the issue of change.

• Follow-up: What’s been different in Marshall’s approach compared to Rob Ryan’s over the last few years?

 

4.  Are there any changes to start utilizing your speed along with Thomas Howard’s in more blitz packages?

Zeroing in now on his role in the defense at a positional level.  Plus, with how fast him and Howard are, they can be effective in blitzes.

• Follow-up: Are there other ways you could use your speed in the new defensive scheme?

 

5.  Part of being a NFL player is that there are as many critics as there are fans.  How do you respond to the critics who say too many of your tackles come downfield in the secondary instead of at the line of scrimmage?

The more personal and specific questions.  Structured to ask a probing question without making an attack.  In fairness an athlete should have a platform to defend themselves as well.  Still have to talk about the issue though:

• Follow-up: What have you done to improve your run defense techniques this year and in other years?

 

6.  You’re also entering the final year of your contract, how do you keep that uncertainty from affecting your play?

One of those ‘have to ask’ kind of questions.  Probably would get a fairly standard response, but opens to door to see if there’s a possible parallel:

• Follow-up: How is the contract uncertainty similar to the uncertainty when Lane Kiffin’s job security was questioned week-to-week last season?

 

7.  Last year was the first year defensive players had a radio headset to get calls from coaches, how was that a factor in diagnosing plays or making adjustments?

Still personal, but starting to ease up a little bit as things wind down.  Gotta stay relevant though.

• Follow-up: What are some improvements you can make after having a year of experience with the system?

 

8.  What are some of the challenges in trying to stay positive and not fall into the spiral of ‘here we go again’ if things aren’t going well?

Moving back to broader topics about the team as a whole to bring the interview full circle.

• Follow-up: What are the changes this year that might help the team snap its six year losing streak?

 

9.  What are your goals for this season?

Just sort of back into a more general conversation, but still with a personal twist.

 

10.  Anything else you wanted to add that I didn’t ask about?

The standard end question.

 

The beauty of all this is that everything could get thrown aside if Kirk says something really interesting or insightful.  But that’s always the goal of any interview is to try and get that gem quotation.

But I’d be psyched to get to talk to Kirk Morrison for any reason.

A Healthy Darren McFadden Could Be the Oakland Raiders’ Biggest Offensive Change

JaMarcus Russell and Darrius Heyward-Bey have dominated the offseason headlines much in the way the Oakland Raiders hope they will eventually dominate defenses.  But it could be the first round pick taken between Russell and Heyward-Bey that gives Oakland the edge in 2009.

Literally.

Darren McFadden is set to show the world the kind of production he only managed in spurts last year while battling injuries.  With a custom shoe to protect his toe, having McFadden healthy could be the most significant change in the Raiders’ playcalling.

The objective is simple: Get McFadden running on the edges.

The vast majority of his big plays in 2008 were from runs off tackle, pitches, screens, and swing patterns. His dominating performance in Week Two against Kansas City was a tantalizing glimpse of his potential before his injury held him back the rest of the year.  But it was getting McFadden to the outside that lead to his breakout game:

• His 50-yard run down the left side was a spread shotgun look to get him in space between the left guard and tackle with Zach Miller downfield in the second level.  (For now, ignore his inexplicable ramrod straight running in the open field that got him caught, he’ll learn from that mistake)
• He finished off the drive on a sweep to the right side with that diving reach into the end zone for his first career touchdown.

McFadden brings the knockout punch to the running back trio behind Russell. And if Russell is to succeed and grow as a quarterback, it will be heavily dependent on the running game taking the pressure off him.

Pounding the ball with Justin Fargas and Michael Bush will be an essential part of that plan.

But Tom Cable will have to adjust his playcalling to focus on utilizing McFadden’s talents in space. If McFadden gets even one step on defenders he is always capable of breaking out a big play. Once McFadden strings together a couple plays then the play-action passing game opens up for Russell to fire his cannon arm.

And that’s when Cable can call on Heyward-Bey to breeze by the secondary for that deep pass down the field.

So before the dreams of Russell to Heyward-Bey start to take over, don’t forget that there’s a home run in the backfield, too. Especially with his experience, however limited, McFadden is ready to contribute right now. There is no waiting needed for him to live up to his potential.

One obstacle in this plan is the consistency of the offensive line. The run blocking has generally been solid in the zone blocking scheme, but the line will have to do a better job at the second level to really spring McFadden free. But there’s a new, but old, bodyguard in town to help.

And Raider Nation should be ecstatic that Lorenzo Neal is now blocking for them instead of against them.

Neal has lived up to the nature of his fullback position and is playing up the selfless role of being a mentor and leader. But his lead blocking ability will be just as valuable as his locker room presence. Even at 38-years-old he almost helped Le’Ron McClain get to 1,000 yards in Baltimore.

Imagine what McFadden, Fargas, and Bush could do.

Neal can be that extra blocker to hit the closing linebacker or safety to make sure McFadden can only see the end zone as he runs up the sideline. Go back to McFadden’s touchdown against the Chiefs in Week Two on that sweep. If you watch the replay, you can see that RT Cornell Green and FB Justin Griffith failed to even touch a defender while blocking.

Neal is savvy enough to get that one block and allow McFadden to get in the end zone without needing to dive and stretch out for the pylon.

Not to be overlooked is Neal’s impact in the play-action game if the Raiders can get McFadden going. Neal can hold up defenders in the pocket to give Russell that extra second to pass that he hasn’t had. Of course it will still come down to Russell improving his accuracy and making the throws, but he’ll need every extra bit of help he can get.

So Tom Cable, if there’s anything you can actually learn from Lane Kiffin, it’s his plan for Darren McFadden. Kiffin originally planned to swing McFadden outside and have him catching passes all along. But he was out of town before he could use that plan with a healthy McFadden, and Cable must capitalize on this chance to follow through.

Even though there’s technically nothing new about trying to use McFadden, it could be just the change needed to jump start the offense.

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