Power Surge; Raiders to infuse more power in their blocking scheme

Now don't get too excited because by no means is this a full switch to the PBS but it is definitely more involved than had been the coaches original plan. This is a great thing anyway to know that the scheme that Darren McFadden excels at will be used more as we go forward.

It is also very nice to see the coaching staff be flexible and make necessary adjustments as the season goes on. The ability to adjust on the fly is huge for a coaching staff and these Raider coaches are showing a willingness to do that.

It isn't just McFadden who appreciates these adjustments though. It is the offensive line that really is liking these PBS additions. The respect and the growing connection between the players and the coaching staff is easily evident when you listen to Stefon Wisnewski talk about it.

“Coming in was ‘zone, zone, zone, zone.’ But I think they’re starting to get to know us better,” Wisniewski said, “and we’re getting to know them and so they’re seeing that we can be successful doing both.”

“We’re all excited about it,” he said. “It shows us as players that our coaches are willing to learn from us and work with us and that’s really comforting as players, to know.”

I do not take those kind of words lightly. The quotes from Lil Wiz speak volumes to me. They show that he and the rest of the line were frustrated at the beginning when it was all zone. They wanted something they were more familiar with and they wanted to know the coaches care what the players think.

The coaching staff putting these plays into the game plan seems to have struck a chord with the team. It has shown the players that the coaching staff cares about them and is willing to listen. The confidence is growing because of that and the comfort of familiarity is helping the OLine play at a higher level. The rest of the team also must feel more comfortable with the coaches when they see such major adjustments be made because of how their teammates felt.

Dennis Allen and Greg Knapp still are confident in the ZBS and it most likely will be around as long as Allen is. However incorporating some power blocking is helping the team play better and keeping the opponents off balance. It is a work in progress but every week the team is working hard to make it work better.

I have said it before and I will continue to say it but the versatility of the mix of PBS and ZBS makes the most sense to pair with a multi-look defense. Why not embrace a multi-scheme offense along with the defense?

That type of versatility keeps the opponent from knowing what to expect. It is something that really could give the Oakland Raiders an identity and very well could be the staple of Dennis Allen as the Raiders head coach.