It looks really bad and I can't make excuses. What I will say, I predicted they'd start the year 1-3 and finish 10-7 and make the wild card round. I still feel that way. They'll fall to 1-3 after losing to the Bills, but then 3 of the next 4 are Raiders, Jets and Dolphins.
Obviously they got to play better especially the QB, but I don't think the season is over and also, guys like Josh Allen/Lawrence also took a handful of years to figure it out and become more consistent. Maye just turned 24 and is in his 3rd year, he has the tools, body and skillset to succeed. It's not the same as Mac Jones and others like Zappe who were limited to begin with and not high-ceiling guys.
Frankly I think the coaching and roster is a deeper issue that'll get exposed further. McDaniels' offense feels like a "high floor" kind of offense but not a consistent high-scoring one like other teams and systems. Mac Jones had a nice rookie season, but that felt like the ceiling. Hopefully not, but it might be the same with Maye right now and even in the playoffs they had a lot of trouble scoring. The playcalling also reflects it at times. And while they added AJ Brown, I'm not sure Doubs was a good signing and they lack depth in a lot of areas which can get exposed very quick when multiple guys go down in a game. That's a roster issue, and the 2024 draft was terrible outside Maye, in fact most guys are gone from it. I guess Maye alone carries it if he is a franchise QB, but still. And Kyle Williams unfortunately feels more "bust than hit" so far, our 3rd rounder from 2025.
I still maintain they 1000% could have kept Diggs. He basically only signed for 8M. Instead of Chism/Williams they could have just kept Boutte/Diggs even as more insurance behind AJ Brown and Doubs.
I?ve said this from the beginning. A QB can have all the physical gifts, but if their decision making and ability to perform under pressure isn?t there, it doesn?t matter. Some of the mistakes by Drake are mind numbing. We are now into year 3. He has the same offensive coordinator, the offensive line is playing well enough. This stuff shouldn?t be happening.
Personally, that's kind of my concern. The play-calling to me at times seems very conservative, and many times they are facing a 3rd and long. How is that a recipe for success? The run game also isn't getting going that much. That part might be a roster issue and lack of depth. And I'm sure all this stuff is also getting into Maye's head. It's mental, and I'd think the coaches and coordinators would try to reign in him.
We saw this with Mac Jones. Great 2021 with McDaniels, then they went to Judge-Patricia and it blew up. But even 2021, when they went up against great teams and needed to score a lot they had trouble. I'm beginning to feel McDaniels' system in offense is limited for today's NFL. It worked with the GOAT and in the 2010s when games weren't as high-scoring.
McDaniels isn't terrible, in fact I think he's a solid OC. I'm just not sure he's an ideal OC for someone with Maye's skillsets and physical attributes. It also feels like McDaniels is here just because of familiarity and because the Raiders' are paying his salary, which is a whole other piece involving ownership
Look at Josh Allen too. They had some coaching/coordinator turnovers and growing pains, but he seemed to really figure it out once Joe Brady took over as OC and then he really took off.