Knapp Time, Saunders Out
by Marcofromda510 on Jan 31, 2012 12:25 AM PST
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PrintAccording to www.foxsports.com Greg Knapp has been offered the Offensive Coordinator Job. We knew that Saunders was probably not Allen's first choice, but figured he's still the best choice. Well it seems that Raiders brass feels differently. Knapp has worked with Allen back with the Falcons.
Most will remember Knapp as OC back in 07, when the team was ranked 27th in total offense, 31st in passing*, and 6th in rushing. The glaring denotation being, it was Russell's rookie year, and was stripped of play calling duties the following year by then coach, Tom Cable. So really, the Raider Nation has no real grasp on what Knapp has to offer as for his time with the silver and black.
Many fans feared us bringing in an West Coast Offence to Oakland, but let's concider a few things. During Mckenzie's time in Green Bay, they ran the WCO with Favre and Rodgers, and went deep often. So there is room to teak the offence to one that best fits our stregnth. I feel Palmer will be fine, the real question will be, how does the wr core handle the change. Hopefully, it wont be too tough of a change. Time will tell. But if this move is accurate, it only creates more questions then answers.
Knapp is a Zone Blocking deciple, so does that mean we switch back to zone blocking or will he make adjustments and continue the use of power blocking. What does this move mean for McFadden? McFadden struggled when we were a zone team. So does that make him expendable? Or has Run DMC grown as a player since then and will continue to florish as a dominate back? We are about to enter arguably the best Free Agency class of WR in league history. So if we do make the full conversion to WCO, what WRs do we target, that would be a system fit? I'll let someone else run with that question to go into full detail in another post.
Allen said our offence will be up tempo, run the ball, and will be explosive in the passing game. So it sounds like Knapp will have complete freedom to shape the offence as he see's fit. No riegns or or restrictions by offensive head coaches. Knapp isnt a sexy hire by any stretch of the imagination but it could be at least a solid one, when it's all said and done.
Other Notes: Fassel leaves to join the rams as their special teams coach. This can either by a minor set back or a major one. I believe the team will be just fine. With probowlers at Kicker, Punter, and Long Snapper; I see no problems coming from this unit.
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Not good at all
Knapp sucked and if DMC sucks because of him I will hang him at the Coliseum. Fassel was pretty good he had to be retained, same as Saunders but we all knew he was going. Just hope he doesnt end up with the Chiefs….
Fassel committed to the other Missouri city
Fassel & Waufle coaching with Fischer;
Raiders kicking game will be just fine; our return game suct anyway, so that can only get better; hopefully we will still get after PKs & punters with multiple blocks
I would say we are getting the Houston Knapp
not the Al Davis/Tom Cable I’m calling the plays, Knapp you just stay out of our way Knapp
ahh..well even if knapp has done better under better circumstances..
i dont like the zone blocking…
hopefully he doesn’t accept the offer due to jawalrus flashbacks.
If Knapp is the OC...I'll be very disappointed with Allen's first move
I was OK with him not keeping Saunders although I thought he should have kept him. Knapp. He’s not exactly what I had in mind when Allen was talking about having a fast, explosive, up-tempo type offense. When he said that I had a good feeling that Saunders would be back because that’s exactly what he brought to the table last year. Regardles…here are Knapp’s declining stats as an OC:
2001 SF Pts – 3rd
2002 SF Pts – 13th
2003 SF Pts – 9th
2004 ATL Pts – 16th
2005 ATL Pts -15th
2006 ATL Pts – 26th
2007 OAK Pts – 23rd
2008 OAK Pts – 29th
2009 SEA Pts – 25th
You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
not crazy about knapp but...
he had his offenses mostly in the top half of the league when he had decent talent to work with (aka not seattle with no wideouts or culpepper/off the marcus/mccown
Not Good!!!
I have lived in the Atlanta area during the time Greg Knapp was the OC for the Falcons and he sucked. During his time here, the team was a running team only and his play calling was very conservative which is just as bad as a prevent defense on the defensive side. He has already been our OC one time already and we saw his playcalling duties was stripped. We should keep Al Saunders!!!!
Exactly...we are going to see a very vanilla offense
I like being a run first team but we are going to see some the same things over and over again. Defensive coordinators must love playing against Knapp cause he has the same game plan and play calling no matter who the opponent. This move will set back this team I have no doubt about that.
You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
by Buster Bluth on Jan 31, 2012 6:08 AM PST up reply actions
Where Did It Say That Al Saunders Was Definitely Gone???...Could He Stay Like Before Not Calling Plays??
At least then the terminology would stay the same and get the players on the same page just that much quicker…
"Tebowphobe"!!!
Let me be the first to say Congrats on your new hire.
I am a Houston fan, Knapp worked really hard for our team and i think you guys are getting a good coach. The whole zone blocking scheme is from the den pipeline which you guys should know about. I think when the coaches together and see what they have to work with they will make it work. I would think Run DMC would be scary in a zone blocking team.
2012 1st round draft pick is...............
McFadden has been in a zone blocking scheme before
The power running scheme was the reason for his emergence 2 years ago. He does not do well in zone blocking schemes and neither did our line. We thrived under the power blocking and kept our QB fairly clean (at least when we had Campbell back there). I’m more disappointed by this move than firing Hue or hiring another rookie HC. This is a very significant set back for our offense and it will show all throughout next season.
Knapp has never shown he can be a top flight play caller since 2003 or even a leader. Allen said he will bring in leaders and THIS is his first move?
You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
by Buster Bluth on Jan 31, 2012 7:15 AM PST up reply actions
I see what you are saying now
let me ask this about the power run. Has DMC always been hurt when running in this style? was he hurt running in a zone blocking?
2012 1st round draft pick is...............
His injuries are not related to blocking schemes
His success is directly related to the switch to power blocking. He is just an aggressive runner with a tendency to foot injuries unfortunately.
You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
by Buster Bluth on Jan 31, 2012 7:27 AM PST up reply actions
I think your over reacting a little bit to the switch at blocking
You gotta remember that almost our entire offensive line is different than it was when we ran the scheme and McFadden did not have the speed of the NFL or the confidence at the time. Yes switching to a power blocking scheme helped him but more so was Hue actually asking him which plays he preferred to run. When we ran zone blocking nobody asked him what kind of runs he liked and he felt a lot of pressure to perform while not receiving enough help from the coaches to allow him to play at his best. He is a different player now and he understands the NFL game a lot more than he did when he was younger, I think if we decide to go ZBS then he will adjust fine now. Confidence was the major problem with him when we ran the scheme before, he is fine with making the cut and seeing the whole now which is what it takes to run in the ZBS.
"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 Jan 31, 2012 10:07 AM PST up reply actions
Hey Marcus !!!
I feel your optimism, but as of RIGHT NOW, we don’t have the players to go immeadiately into a zone blocking scheme, and if Knapp trys to force it on the current players, we’re probably looking at moving backwards, far as the run game goes. Knapp’s a decent coach, but his OC accomplishments are far and in between, to say the least !!! Lets get one thing straight, he better choices !!! And if freindship blinds our young coach, he’s in the wrong town, and he took the wrong job !!!
Well it's official...we will have the most vanilla predictable offense in the league
Knapp agreed to be the OC for us…shocking considering he probably would never have been offered that position ever again by any sane coach.
He hasn’t produced anything resembling a top offense in close to 10 years and yet HE is the one that will usher in a new era of a “fast, aggressive, up-tempo” offense that Allen promised. I’m sorry but as far as I’m concerned…Allen has strike one on him already for this blunder.
You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
Being a Texan fan...
I take some kind of offence to this. Our offense has been in top 10 past years ecxept the one when we go to the playoffs. He took on a 5th round QB and made him look pretty good besides the last game against ravens.
2012 1st round draft pick is...............
Did he call the plays? Did he formulate the game plans each week?
I’m sure he’s a great position coach…but if you look at his history as an OC…he’s mediocre on his best of days. I appreciate the help he provided to Yates cause he kept the ship afloat when Shaub and Leinart went down…that doesn’t make you a good OC necessarily.
You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
by Buster Bluth on Jan 31, 2012 7:29 AM PST up reply actions
No he did not call the plays.
He worked way into to hours to get TJ ready. I am not saying he is a good or bad hire until that time comes. Just think him working with carson will be pretty damn good.
2012 1st round draft pick is...............
The problem here is that we have a rookie HC with no offensive experience
This means the offense will be on Knapp for the most part and that’s the part that grinds my gears. He’s a poor game planner and a poor play caller. I’m sure he can coach some guys up but this team is built to mix it up offensively and he’s not the guy to lead that charge at all. I would much rather have an up and comer or have kept Saunders who knew these guys and he game planned very well.
You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
by Buster Bluth on Jan 31, 2012 7:39 AM PST up reply actions
The head coach said he wants lots of formations and to be fast and aggressive
If thats what he was looking for then he obviously sees something in Knapp that you do not. He would not have hired him if he didnt fit what he was looking for and you are not giving Knapp any credit for what he did do in Houston, even if that wasnt the playcalling duties. I guarantee he was heavily involved in the game planning in Houston and he did an amazing job keeping that offense moving and executing despite injury after injury to star players. He wasnt very good for us in the passing game……WITH JAMARCUS RUSSELL!!!!! He still led us to having the 6th best rush offense with a QB that everybody knew couldnt do a damn thing meaning they stacked the line to stop the run and still couldnt stop it, and now we have a way better running game. I am not thrilled with this hire either but your venomous reaction seems like a complete over reaction to me. Things change all the time and its been years since we last saw Knapp call plays, there is no reason to believe he is going to be rehashing the old schemes from 5 years ago, he would have learned alot since he left here. If Allen thought he was going to be vanilla and boring he would not have hired him because that goes completely against fast and aggressive, and that Houston offense was anything but boring even if it wasnt Knapp calling the plays.
"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 Jan 31, 2012 10:16 AM PST up reply actions
I suppose you would have been cool with us bringing in Art Shell as HC again as well
Knapp is a known commodity…he runs a conservative, run first, second, and sometimes third downs, ball control type of guy. Can he change? Sure. I can only formulate an opinion on what I know and since I’m just a fan…I can only go on what I see for myself. Could I be wrong? Of course. I certainly hope in this case that I am and that he has learned a thing or two since he was last here but a tiger can’t always changed it’s stripes. I have a strong negative opinion on this move and I choose to voice that.
You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
by Buster Bluth on Jan 31, 2012 10:46 AM PST up reply actions
Back to run run pass......
The cowards never started, the weak died along the way....
by BlackHeartSilverEyes on Jan 31, 2012 1:03 PM PST up reply actions
Knapp was brought in only because of his history with Shaub in Atlanta as well
You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who makes people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.
by Buster Bluth on Jan 31, 2012 7:31 AM PST up reply actions
take offense....it makes me feel better at least....
The cowards never started, the weak died along the way....
by BlackHeartSilverEyes on Jan 31, 2012 4:44 PM PST up reply actions
Although the hiring doesn't excite me
Knapp has never had the talent to work with that he has here. The only WR’s of note he had to work with was TO, an overrated Peerless Price and a declining Housh. It seems that he designs his offenses to strengths of the roster. This is the first time that he gets to work with a roster that does not have a weakness at any offensive skill position. I don’t think this hire is going to be as bad as you perceive.
Initial Reaction
My initial reaction is a sick feeling in my stomach. We will see. I guess if he takes his cues from the HC it may work.
Oh, for chirst's sake
The article is not “Lane Kiffin to coach, JaMarcus Russell to start.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Cable a ZBS guy? Wasn’t Cable the coach in 2010? Didn’t McFadden not only rush for over a kilo in 2010, but stay healthier than he has ever been before or since?
I said before- I’m on board. You may hate the WC offense, but remember the last time the SuperBowl was blessed with the Silver and Black? Wasn’t because we were running the vertical offense that Al loved so much.
I agree with most of it except the WC offense in the SuperBowl
You need players that fit the philosophy and Saunders did a great job of using the vertical offense with us, I am not saying Carson wont work, I am not saying Moore wont work…but we are not getting the best oput of them. Maybe we can if we run a GB type of WC offense, like they did with favre, it was a WC Offense yet they went deep so much, and finally the WC offense demands lots of passing while running not so much, so maybe that will help DMC stay healthier. I think the thing that will dictate our future is how well Carson plays, I have no doubt he can be a top 5 passer next season though, hopefully Knapp is that ‘’fast, aggressive, up-tempo’’ guy right now. We can only wait and see what happens, I will stay positive, remember guys, Allen is the new coach and we should stay beside him as long was there isnt a majore fuck up. While he hasnt proved anything yet, he hasnt proved anything bad either.
by RaiderPride20 on Jan 31, 2012 1:30 PM PST up reply actions
Looka t this roster:
Quarterbacks
12 Josh McCown
2 JaMarcus Russell
16 Andrew Walter
Running Backs
36 Justin Griffith FB
34 LaMont Jordan
25 Justin Fargas
46 Oren O’Neal FB
33 Dominic Rhodes
Wide Receivers
89 Ronald Curry
17 Tim Dwight PR
15 Johnnie Lee Higgins PR
14 Chris McFoy
84 Jerry Porter
Tight Ends
85 John Madsen
80 Zach Miller
86 Tony Stewart
Knapp might be better than we’re giving him credit for to get any W’s with that bunch.
No, it was because of the
runningback he hated so much.
That's why his azz got fired !!!
Cable’s scheme sucked, simply because the line at the time couldn’t adapt to it, but he did nothing to bring in players that could run the ZBS !!! Remember, StuperMario was his best bud, but couldn’t remember the snap count , from the huddle to line !!! He open the door for Hue, his damn self for not getting it to work after 3 yrs!!!!
I was happy when Knapp left before....like Bresnahan.
Allen’s first big move is a new OC. So is Allen the new HC/DC?
What the fuck was wrong with last OC? The only thing crippling Saunders was Hue Jackson.
Stupid fucking move.
The cowards never started, the weak died along the way....
by BlackHeartSilverEyes on Jan 31, 2012 12:58 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Saunders was...Allen is starting to lose stock with this old dog...
if he hires Manusky, hs stock is junk bonds to me…
The cowards never started, the weak died along the way....
by BlackHeartSilverEyes on Feb 1, 2012 8:43 AM PST up reply actions
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