In an attempt to win a Super Bowl, the Las Vegas Raiders have reunited the former Seattle Seahawks pair of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith. With the only thing consistent about the Raiders being their inconsistency, the franchise is now hoping that veteran leadership could be the cure to its playoff woes.
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While Carroll and Smith have their fair share of naysayers, they should prove to be a vast improvement over the revolving door of talent that the franchise has dealt with throughout the last two decades. Nevertheless, NFL quarterback-turned-ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky maintains that the Raiders are still far away from being a threat for the championship.
During a panel discussion on the NFL on ESPN, Orlovsky suggested that while the new hires may prove to be of help on offense, Las Vegas is still far removed from seeing its first playoff win since the 2002 postseason. According to the former Detroit Lion, drafting an offensive playmaker, such as Ashton Jeanty, would ultimately do very little for a team that is severely hindered by its defense.
“This defense has been bad for three out of the last four seasons. If you look at the makeup of the football, this is a defense that’s bottom five or bottom six… There’s only two real difference makers on this defense… This defense is so devoid of real talent,” Orlovsky added.
The Raiders’ points allowed per game average of 23.85 since the 2021 regular season ranks as one of the worst in the league, highlighting the franchise’s inability to improve its culture. However, Orlovsky’s fellow panelist and member of the Pivot Podcast, Ryan Clark, believes that can start to change as soon as this offseason.
“What makes me think that this team can be better is if you can get Devin White to play at a level that we saw him play at in Tampa Bay… They tried to add some pieces, but it’s all about what Pete Carroll can imprint on this defense. If that culture can take over this year, I believe they can elevate this team,” Clark explained.
If the Raiders want to improve their chances of climbing the rungs of the AFC West ladder, they will certainly have to get the most out of their players. If anyone has the tools and ability to do that, perhaps it’s a 73-year-old Pete Carroll and his trusted QB Geno Smith.
Clark praises the Raiders’ Geno Smith signing
Often considered being an afterthought when discussing starting NFL quarterbacks, Geno Smith saw his career reignite in Seattle. Under the guidance of Carroll, Smith finally enjoyed a breakout year in 2022, when he passed for a then-career high 4,282 passing yards.
After Smith managed to maintain that success and improve upon it by once again notching new career highs in passing yards and completion percentages in 2024, Clark certainly believes that this gives the Raiders their best chance to win in years.
“They know that Pete Carroll will instill a culture, but within that culture you need good football players and that starts with Geno Smith. That starts with the ascension that he has had over the last few years and becoming one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.”
Should Smith continue his form, Las Vegas may finally have a chance at producing a winning record, something that the fanbase has only seen twice throughout the last decade. However, as Orlovsky alluded to when referencing the defense, the Raiders nation may have to wait just a little while longer before that can actually come to fruition.
