The Oakland Raiders offense is projected to make significant strides in 2015. One must wonder what's offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave’s blueprint for optimizing a revamped offense in Oakland.
Musgrave gave one clue as to what the Raiders offense could resemble this year. Think Chip Kelly and that up-tempo offense in Philadelphia scoring points in flurries. Oakland will need those flurries to outscore opponents with question marks and unknowns on the defensive side of the ball.
Let’s step into Musgrave’s shoes and lay out the perfect blueprint for this year’s offense.
Setting Up the Passing Game
It seems logical to start with the quarterback position, but in this case the Raiders’ rushing attack must redeem at least some of the respect lost in 2014.
Collectively the running backs ranked last in rushing yards (1,240), last in touchdowns (four) and tied for the most fumbles in the league (10). This one-dimensional Raiders team could have won a lot more games if opposing defenses weren’t sitting on the heels clogging the passing lanes.
Running backs Trent Richardson and Latavius Murray should split the load in the backfield featuring Richardson in the starting role getting 60 percent of the carries. Why? Physical RBs need a higher volume of attempts to be effective. Murray doesn’t need 20-plus carries to impact the offense.
Murray broke 100 yards in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs with only four carries. He averaged 4.92 yards per carry in the second game against the Chiefs on 12 carries.
In the two games the Raiders fed him the ball for 23 carries, he failed to reach 90 rushing yards. For Murray, less is more on a per-carry basis. He can hit an opposing defense with a 90-yard run at any moment, which makes him more effective sporadically with fresh legs.
Josh...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
