The Oakland Raiders' Poor Rush D Starts with the Linebackers

by Rich Langford on Jun 24, 2011 6:15 AM PDT

The Oakland Raiders 2009 linebacker corp took the blame for the impressive ineptitude of the the 2009 Raiders defense. So, in 2010 the Raiders had an entirely new linebacking corp. The Raiders' rush defense made strides, but that is largely attributed to the dominant play of the Übermensch defensive line.

I don't expect this to be a revelation to anyone. And the reason I bring it up is because our good friends at Pro Football Focus have done a study on linebacker tackling.

They rated the LBs by measuring their tackles to missed tackle ratio. 3-4 outside linebackers were given their own group, but all other linebackers were grouped together.

They posted the top and bottom 20. Should we start with the good, the bad or the neutral? I'm going neutral. That'd be Mr. McClain. He did not qqualify for the list. Mr. Quentin Groves did though. Jump over and see for yourselves....

Groves had the seventh worst tackling percentage of all LBs. Groves missed five tackles and only made 32. That is not good. Not nearly as good as Kamerion Wimbley.

Kamerion Wimbley had the 20th best tackling percentage. Wimbley made 39 tackles while playing linebacker and missed only three. This is rock solid, and not all that surprising. Wimbley's weakness as a linebacker is getting in the right place at the right time in run coverage, and given his inexperience as an OLB in a 4-3 that is not all that surprising.

Groves is equally inexperinced as an OLB in a 4-3, but there is not a lot in his play to inspire hope. He is not a sure tackler and he lacks instincts. I like Groves. I am glad he is a Raider, but I like him as a backup and a special teams player, which is what he will be if Travis Goethel can stay healthy.

All in all, it is not the missed tackles that point to the woes of the Raiders' rush defense. It is the tackle numbers. The Raiders linebackers aren't making enough plays in the run game. If this rush defense is going to improve than the linebackers tackling numbers need to go up and the safeties need to go down...and most importantly, the Raiders need to eliminate the tackles of opposing running backs made by the endzone.

Oh, and the No. 2 linebacker in tackling efficiency? That'd be Kirk Morrison. He missed one tackle and made 69.

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I Feel There Is Hope...

Maturing with another year of experience in the 4-3 plus the addition of Biekert as “LBC” maybe…Just maybe this unit makes some strides…

Behind them the additions of Woodson n Ross should add to the further development of our "DB"s and the influx of new young talent brings needed depth…I expect good thing this year from that unit as well…Especially if we can keep Nam…

Another season together and that excellent “DL” play could become spectacular…

But maybe the real hope here is in the "O"s development and their ability to keep the pressure on so teams have to abandon their very conservative game plans and air out that “Pig”…If we can force a reduction in the #’s of rushes we face that will go along way toward solving our Rush “D” woes….

by PantyRaider on Jun 24, 2011 9:14 AM PDT reply actions

Bring in Morrison!

Seriously, I know Goethel might be good. But this just stresses how important it is we upgrade our Will. Morrison would be an excellent Will in our system and could certainly come in handy if McClain were to get hurt or in nickel situations. Picking up Morrison would also be excellent on the leadership and fan favorite scale as it is looking more and more likely that Nnamdi will be gone. We can lose Howard and have Groves back up Wimbley.

"When you believe in yourself......you will conquer many of your fears before they even manifest."

-Zen Master, Nnamdi "The Awesome One" Asomugha

by DarthDavis on Jun 24, 2011 10:03 AM PDT reply actions

Morrison would be a welcome addition. He could transition to Will backer brilliantly with this group

and win the job for sure. But technically, we need both a Will and a Sam, and Goethel will most definitely compete for the Will spot. I just see Groves as a weak spot, and we don’t need any help there in our lb corps, already targeted by offenses league wide.

"tough times call for perseverance and a tough mind. I have been told that I can't play football before. We all know what happened with that. #neverquit"--Mark Herzlich

""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson

by brhynno on Jun 24, 2011 10:59 AM PDT up reply actions

i agree and always felt it was a mistake to trade him in the first place

"We want to win. The Raider fans deserve it. The Raider players deserve it, even my organization deserves it. You have to win and you have to win with a vision for the Super Bowl. That's our passion here."--Al Davis

"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is."--Vince Lombardi

by Marcus Allen Krause on Jun 24, 2011 11:22 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions

It was a good trade - allowing us to get Jacoby. That said, we could use him on the outside where his speed and sure

tackling, albeit not very physical, is sorely needed.

S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"I made a trade for Seymour. ..I thought it was a great trade. Still do. [Al Davis 1/1911]
Patience advances a man to better times.

by Sons-of-Blanda on Jun 24, 2011 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions

It would be even worse for our LBs if this assessment included "should have been there" as a missed tackle.

Groves is not a good lineback but not horrible like Ricky Brown and Wimbley is not a complete linebacker but is strong in pass rusher. I’ve confidence in Go and and am optimistic about Ro and would like to see Ho play Safety.

S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"I made a trade for Seymour. ..I thought it was a great trade. Still do. [Al Davis 1/1911]
Patience advances a man to better times.

by Sons-of-Blanda on Jun 24, 2011 11:16 AM PDT reply actions

... and I'm also for bringing back Mo - to play Sam

S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
"I made a trade for Seymour. ..I thought it was a great trade. Still do. [Al Davis 1/1911]
Patience advances a man to better times.

by Sons-of-Blanda on Jun 24, 2011 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions