Las Vegas Raiders 2024 Season Preview | PFF

they are next because we have the exact same record prediction for this team five and 12 for the Raiders might seem a little bit harsh sure Waltz in the chat not happy about this one with uh with this team finishing with only five wins missing out on the playoffs what do you think about the Raiders situation are were you tempted to go higher with the win total are we being too big of haters here with the Raiders then give be the offensive MVP that you think could mean a lot to this team so they they could definitely have a couple more wins in this because their defense once Antonio Pierce took over the defense played a lot better we'll get into that for a minute I I I do worry about this quarterback situation and and some of the reports coming out of of Vegas with with Garner mchu and Aden oconnell have not been real positive throughout the pre season mchu is going to start um I know he played reasonably well for the Colts last year but some of the under the hood numbers um kind of portray more of a gunslinger kind of a high turnover worthy play rate like there's some there's some things in there that that concern me with both of them with mchu and oconnell and it does it reminds me a bit of when we walked into with the Atlanta Falcons season last year and it was like okay we have a really good old line and we just drafted Bean Robinson we have Drake London we have Kyle pittz we got Jesse Bates and free agency we're starting to roll on defense we have K but we have Desmond Ritter and Taylor Hani and it it feels a little bit like to me we have Gardner muu and Aiden o Connell and and in a scheme now muu is away from Shane styken because he was with Shane Sten in Philly when he was the backup and I believe one one a big game or two for them he was with Shane Sten last year with the Colts when they dar wi division but now he's away from that environment right so not as easy now you're going to Luke gsy who obviously there was struggles over there with the Bears and Justin fields and all of that how does the quarterback and offensive coordinator situation really pan out for this team now offensive MVP there is a guy they can rely on at every week every year all the time I think the most underappreciated tackle in the league Trevor and that's Colton Miller at left tackle for them this guy he just shows up every year every week and every year just so consistent right and I think when we talk about the elite tackles right the Trent Williams and the pen sus and the Tristan wors and Lane Johnson's and all these guys I don't think we give Colton Miller enough credit last year an 80.2 overall grade 11th best among all tackles right and since 2020 an 87.1 pass uh pass Pro grade right the only left tackles better than that David bakari Lar tunel Andrew Whitworth who's not even playing anymore and Trent Williams you're talking about this guy especially in pass protection is among the elite players in football whoever is playing quarterback can at least sleep well at night knowing he's going to wake up on Sunday mornings and that day he's going to get protected by Colton Miller shocks me absolutely shocks me that he's never made he hasn't made a Pro Bowl yet it's it's unreal and I know there's a ton of good offensive tackles in the league Colt Miller at some point he's got to make at least one one Pro Bowl please someone vote for him because this guy is is as reliable as any tackle in the league on either side he's an excellent pass protector it's a solid run blocker he does just does everything so well he's just the he's one of the few constants in their offense every single year even though we talk about quarterbacks and this year we talk about who's in their running back rotation and what's going on there and is Devonte Adams going to get traded I can tell you right now Colt Miller is going to go out every week he's going to play really really well and and he's still probably going to get underappreciated the the crowd Crown Jewel of um of Mike Mayo's time as general manager right or no oh he was he was the year before I think oh man samak doesn't even get credit I I don't I don't remember the timing I don't remember the timing I'm sorry Mike I tried to I just looked it up it was I thought it started at 2018 because that was when col Miller got drafted he was a 2018 draft but uh Mak was after in 2019 sorry Mike I tried to give you I tried to give you some credit there but uh to no avail um I think the col Miller is fantastic I think it's a really good shout out by you um obviously how the quarterbacks play a major part of how well this team is going to play I I I think that um Zeus white zamir white their running back is also a major factor in how well this team is going to be able to play offense because if they can't run the football well that's the one thing that I'm really worried about with this defense I think this defense could be really good in in Las Vegas but if you can't run the football and keep the defense off the field a little bit well then just it's a numbers game at that point there's too many good offenses in the NFL you're going to see more point points given up more yards given up for as good as that unit is you just you want to limit possessions in the way that you did that as running the ball so I think the running the ball matters a lot for this team but in terms of an offensive MVP a player that has a lot of value that I think could maybe swing our expectations of how good this offense can be is Brock Bowers Brock Bowers three straight Seasons at Georgia of elite overall grades he was the best tight end that that we have seen in the country over the last couple of years I know I think correct me if I'm wrong but I think Max has made the argument for Brock Bowers being the greatest college football tight end of all time because of how well he has been able to uh just hit the ground running when he was a true freshman and obviously how dominant that he continued to be as a sophomore and a junior so if Bowers along with Michael Mayer can make that one of the premium tight end rooms in the NFL and continue to hit the ground running that's an X Factor that could really swing things in favor for this team I already know Devonte Adams is going to be good mentioned how how pivotal the Run game is but to me that who is most valuable to this team if Brock Bowers can look anything like the Brock Bowers that we saw at Georgia sort of right off the bat you've all all of a sudden got a much more service serviceable much more maybe potent is the better word offense than what it looks like on paper before the season is starting so I'm I'm going with Brock Bowers here but what about your defensive MVP we got defense here one other really quick thing on on Bowers and the luxury the luxury of having mayor there is big time for this cuz mayor is a very traditional throwback well it's throwback Notre Dame tight ends that you could have in any decade we've ever seen football but Bowers the versatility is going to be a big thing uh the one preseason game he did play right played 11 snaps he lined up at nine different spots I think that's the preview that you're going to get with Bowers is he's going to be all over the place in the slot as as a as an h-back sort of thing he could line up out wide he's that good I I mean I think that's the one thing with Bowers too is his level of Versatility is going to be crucial to their offense um defensive MVP look there's some good players on this defense and that some good players that got a lot better on this defense late in the year after Pierce took over but Max Crosby is the dude I I mean that's just not it it's it's just he's so we're watching you know what's funny to me I'm I'm looking at Max Crosby numbers and and and I'm obviously we see him every week and we see him in the highlights every week and feels like he's been around forever doesn't it like like I don't know why it feels like been watching Max Crosby play football for like 15 years and then I look up he just turned 27 last week I that's pretty that's that's actually pretty surprising I would have guessed I would have guessed 29 I would have confidently guessed 29 I don't know why this threw me off I was like he just turned 27 last week and and and I'm like wait this he's just hitting his prime this is the beginning of his prime this is nuts fourth in overall grade last year among edges number one in Rundy grade with a 92.7 one of the best pass rushers in football just one of the best everything in football I don't care if you've got like if you're making like a top 20 list of players if not higher than that you don't have Max I think he got in the top 10 this year didn't he in which which ceg in the NFL top 100 I think he snuck his top 10 I think he snuck his way into like eight or nine or something like that like a top 10 player you might have to look at it but no he's he's one of the elite players in football and and he's just the effort he brings you know sometimes you get star players who kind of pick and choose when they want to play but Max Crosby brings it every single play he's just got like that dog mentality pass rush run D he could drop into coverage and do some things I'm sure it he would give you 100% effort this guy is just Talent the perfect combination of talent effort and execution that's just like man oh man he's he's an elite player in this league he makes this defense go I know there's some other guys playing well around him especially the second half of last year but I don't think he can be said enough when we talk about miles Garrett TJ watt Mah Parson all Max Crosby is in that in the Inner Circle not like oh knocking on the door you know he's great in the mid 80s like no he's in that inner circle if you talk about elite players Max Crosby is an elite player yeah he is not often you were right by the way he was number 10 on the NFL top 100 this year he is not often enough mentioned with TJ Watt and Miles Garrett and Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa they a lot of people just talk about oh it's the big four it's the big four it's a big five like it's it's it's it's absolutely a big five um Crosby three straight years of elite PF PF grades um what I really want to see from him this year is you know the last two years have been very strong from him I just mentioned Elite PFF grades from him but last two years pass rush win percentage was in the 15s it was 15 point something percent pass win percentage in the 2021 season it was in the 20s right I I want it to be back up by the 20s and that's the thing about those other four guys is watt is sometimes a little bit up and down his production stays up but his passor win percentage is sometimes a little bit up and down but Parson Garrett Nick Bosa I mean those guys are consistently above 20% pass rush win percentage players Crosby has the ability to do it I want to see it again this year which will continue to uh hopefully Chip Away giving him the respect that he deserves as one of the best Edge rushers in the league what about a breakout player that we have for the Las Vegas Raiders all right this is a fun one of all the breakout players we've done so far this was my favorite one to watch all right so were you did you wake up this morning ready for a rant on the University of Buffalo uh with you my friend I have to wake up ready for literally any sort of obscure rant uh so let's hit I didn't know that it was going to be Buffalo but uh hit me with it let's go obscure rants are like my favorite thing ever by the way all right here we go so set the stage you have Max Crosby you've had him for a few years you know he's great we're trying to find a guy across from him who's going to be who's going to be that number two guy the guy who take the to take the triple teams off of Crosby and do all that right we draft Tyree Wilson last year with the seventh overall pick we're getting through the first half of the Year we're struggling our coach is about to get fired Tyrie Wilson is struggling to really kind of find his NFL footing right he's he kind of a lot of talent there a lot of measurables kind of a project right he's kind of struggling we're still looking we're rotating guys at that other spot Crosby plays every snap because he's a freaking nature right we get to Antonio Pierce being the head coach and I've got a guy suddenly emerging on the other side e last year a third year man this year a fourth year man out of the University of Buffalo a a school and a position that Raider fans are very very familiar with a guy they drafted very high a long time ago and then traded to Chicago and khil Mack right they're familiar with really good Edge rushers from the University of Buffalo and they got another one in Malcolm coun okay let me tell you something when Pierce took this team over he made Malcolm Co the starter opposite Max Crosby this guy's this guy's a freak this I'm telling you right now and actually since the merger he's the second highest drafted player out of the University of Buffalo behind khil Mack so what did he do last year he's a power rusher he's got pass rush moves he's a really good athlete weeks 10 through 18 the second half of last year a 90 overall grade the 10th best in football in that stretch of course who's one spot ahead of him Max Crosby so you're talking about a team that played the second half of last year with two top 10 edges okay here's the other one you you want another you want you want a fun stat that just of course makes all the sense in the world you're going to give it to me no matter what so go ahead of course in that same stretch only two Edge players okay in those nine weeks had top 10 Runde and pass rush grades one of them was Malcolm Coons and of course the other one was khil Mack because of course it was because only University of Buffalo Edge players could could do that right because of course no this guy for real Trev if you turn on the tape of him the it starts with a bull rush it goes with a counter counter inside move sometimes there there's just a rip outside move there's everything in the Arsenal I don't know what this guy what they were doing to develop this guy the last two years before 2023 CU he barely played but man oh man they may have found a freak they may have found an actual freak A guy across from Crosby there are reps in pass rush on tape where the opposing offense is chipping and doubling Co instead of Crosby and Crosby L up that's how good he was playing like and if you look at when the Raiders beat the Chiefs was it on Christmas day right I think I'm pretty sure I think it was it was later it was later in the season I think it was Christmas I'm pretty sure it was Christmas day that Monday when the Raiders went in there and beat the Chiefs without throwing hardly any passes and a big reason was Malcolm Coon's given their tackles the absolute work even more so than Crosby so I'm going to tell you right now the Raiders are familiar with University of Buffalo pass rushers we've seen look that school doesn't put out a lot of players but lately they putting out some really good ones you've got CLE Mack you've got Malcolm C you got Buffalo Joe andreon who just made the Bills roster and to top it all off you want to know what else Trevor University of Buffalo that's where my mom went to law school so clearly all they do is produce greatness that's that's the bias the bias the bias is here now I understand you're pushing the agenda I've got the numbers to back it up they're right here this guy this guy is the man across from Max Crosby they have found their number two Edge rusher from a school that clearly only produces greatness uh but but in all seriousness man if you haven't seen the tape of Co in the second half of last year yet please go watch it this is the most fun this is the most fun I've had watching any of these breakout players that we've talked about so far Co is a reason why my bold prediction for this Raiders team is having a top five defense in the NFL because I thought the Raiders were good last year um I didn't even realize how good they were you mentioned since Antonio Pierce took over they were seventh in in total scoring defense in the NFL they were ninth in total defensive PFF grade last year so you the EPA per play allowed was I think eight 17th or 18th so was a little bit lower but this group there are plenty of reasons to think that they're going to be even better this year you mentioned Malcolm Coons is one of them I think I've heard some other people talk about him throughout the offseason but that was a very great detail breakdown which look just saying you know Shane was plug here if you guys have a PFF subscription you could go on your own tangents and rants like this because you can get some fantastic CL premium stats like just laid out for you for guys like Malcolm CS for your favorite team also just want to say love a good since the merger stat you know like anytime any anytime you get to start your analysis or a statistic or something with since the merger I just I I I love a good since the merger I mean 1970 is a long time ago right we got we got to have that we I gotta I had to cut it I had to cut it off cuz it was one guy drafted earlier it was the third round back in like 60 something when there was like 12 teams and and it was only like 12 picks per round I go okay that's not that's not even I I need I need the merger here I need I need the whole league I need the AFL involved here with this no it's uh it's it's like the NBA as well again like anytime anytime anybody gets started senten with since the merger um I'm paying attention remember the shot the shot clock era that's the NBA one for that the shot clock ER too oh yeah that's that's that's always a classic yeah uh my breakout player I'm staying in the defense I'm going with quarterback Jack Jones I think this dude's in for a monster year um two interceptions in each of the last two seasons a little bit lower but I just think that he is a smaller corner but a feisty he is competitive as hell coverage grades of 60 of uh 76.0 and 71.9 over the last couple of Seasons but this preseason specifically on just 28 coverage snaps he already nabbed himself an interception got a forced incompletion had a 90.6 coverage grade he looks like he is playing so confidently and I think that this is a Big Time breakout year for Jack Jones I think he's going to be a beast the team's best rookie I already talked about it with Brock Bowers it's Brock Bowers for me it has to be is it also Brock Bowers for you for the team's best rookie absolutely yeah I would have if he was starting which it doesn't look like he's G I would have considered Jackson Powers Johnson too but no it's it's Brock Bowers I think just such as good a tight end as we've seen come out of college in a while and to me what he adds is two things the versatility he's a chess piece right I think he's the ultimate chess piece in this offense you know I mentioned it before the one preseason game he played 11 snaps lined up at nine different positions you're going to have to find him every snap and he's one of the best after the catch threats uh not just at tight end but one of the best after the catch threats that that we've tracked in college football um tracking it for the last 10 11 years certainly over the last three years I I mean I believe he has the most yards after catch of any power five tight end that we've ever tracked it's just it's what he does he breaks tackles he makes plays after the catch he can turn a 5-yard pass into a 20- yard gain um he's a chain mover scores touchdowns honestly a little bit like um George KD where you could you could hand the ball to this guy and and he can make things happen right you could get Brock Bowers going on a Jet Sweep from under Center and and he's going to make it out they did it at Georgia he had several several games with multiple carries at Georgia just get him he's a football player like he's honestly he's a football player's football player that that's really what a lot like George KD not as good a blocker as KD I'll admit that but when you look at him with the ball in his hands and what he can do after the catch and and breaking tackles and and and and the speed deceptive speed too he's just he's the full package and and I think he's the guy who when you talk about having that chess piece that can make other people open up lanes for other people open up routes for other people you just always have to find him he's going to be a matchup problem no question [Music]