After a 24-10 loss to the previously 2-8 Cleveland Browns, the Las Vegas Raiders had to make some changes. The first casualty was offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
The offense has been a mess this season. The 15.0 points a game they’re averaging is tied for worst in the NFL. Though there are serious talent issues on the roster, Kelly wasn’t doing anything to elevate the pieces that he had.
However, Kelly wasn’t the only coach to get the ax. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders have fired senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell, who was considered Kelly’s right-hand man.
Since Bicknell wasn’t coaching a specific position, it’s hard to know exactly what his role in the offense was. He was clearly closely linked to Kelly, or else he wouldn’t have gotten fired.
Bicknell previously worked under Kelly on the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, but didn’t work with him at the college level. The Raiders must want to get Kelly’s influence completely out of the building. While he has proven to be a good college coach, he has never proven to be a consistent performer in the NFL. The Raiders would like to do this one over if they could go back in time.
Could Other Coaches Be Fired?
The one coach fans want to see fired more than anybody is offensive line coach Brennan Carroll. The problem is that he’s the son of head coach Pete Carroll.
Is he willing to fire his own son? It doesn’t appear so, but the Raiders should consider demoting him and allowing Joe Philbin to coach the offensive line. The team’s offensive line has been a total mess this season.
It doesn’t help that Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson are out, but the Raiders aren’t making the correct adjustments. Brennan Carroll had never been a head offensive line coach at the NFL level, and it’s obvious now that he wasn’t ready for the job.
Carroll Talks Loss
Pete Carroll has to start feeling the heat. The Raiders have already fired two coordinators, so he’s running out of people to point the finger at.
If Las Vegas can’t improve over the last six games, Carroll might not even make it to the end of the season. He’s had so much success in his career, and he seems flabbergasted by this season.
“I’ve never not thought it would take [this much] work to get it right,” Carroll said after Sunday’s loss. “I thought, ‘Well, maybe I could have something to do with avoiding this.’”
Though the Raiders have little to play for at this point, Carroll doesn’t believe his players have given up.
“They ain’t giving up on each other. I’m not giving up on them, and they’re not giving up on me, I hope,” Carroll said.
The defense played decently against the Browns, but Carroll acknowledged the offense was at fault for the loss, which is why Kelly got let go.
“It’s disappointing that [the Browns] turned out a great crowd, and they were loud and helping, and that they walked away here so satisfied,” Carroll said. “But if you don’t score, you can’t win, and we couldn’t score.”
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