Dollar Tree Paulie G. That was the unflattering name I came up with for the Raiders defense the past two seasons. While this may be a disparaging remark solely intended for defensive coordinator Paul Guenther — As Steve Corkran eloquently laid out, he has yet to receive a passing grade — the moniker is to
Raiders spend considerable coin on defense; time for substantial return on investment
I met Rob Ryan, when he was Defensive Coordinator of the Raiders at the time. He said to me, it’s hard to make “chicken soup out of chicken sh&t.”
The point being you are good as your players. Guenther is officially on the clock. Defense has to show improvement.
Looking at those numbers on the offensive side of the ball, it is hard to believe that the offense can’t score more than 20 points a game on a consistent basis. As you write, Ray, the defense is still lagging behind, but hopefully this year there will be a marked improvement.
Precisely, Michelle. If that much money is being devoted to offense, then the offense ought to be the strong suit of the team. Struggling to score more than 24 points is unacceptable with Derek Carr being in his sixth season, playing behind a stout offensive line, having a quality running back and tight end, to boot.