As Antonio Pierce has overhauled the offensive coaching staff, he has made it clear that this team will be based on the run game. And that fact alone tells you why the team is 2-7 and has lost five straight.
They just can't run the ball. How, . Which wouldn't be a bad thing if the team didn't rely on it so much. But because they assumed it was a strength, everything else fell apart with it.
So, as Antonio Pierce after just nine games he too as well as.
“Our ability to run the football has to change,” Antonio Pierce said. “We have to run the football.” We are one of the worst teams in football, if not the worst running team in football. So that has to change.”
Given the way the team finished last season, there was reason to believe they could put something together locally.
Zamir White filled in for the injured Josh Jacobs in the last four games and White's rushing numbers were quite good. Even without seemingly doing anything special – something Jacobs was known for – White still produced the yards, averaging nearly 100 yards per game and over 4.7 yards per carry.
He saw this season . He's averaging less than three yards per carry and that was just a few weeks ago .
What happened? A new blocking scheme has been introduced.
The offense struggled to adjust, as did the defense. And the whole offense.
Therefore, together with Getsy, was fired and .
“Joe Philbin has been in this game for a long time, has coached some really good offensive lines and has been active on offense as well,” Pierce said. “And obviously you have a gentleman who was a head coach, we talked about that before. He was an offensive coordinator and his strength was O-line play.”
Before and after Philbin was OC and head coach, he coached offensive lines. Most recently for three seasons in Dallas (2020-22) and a few seasons before that in Indianapolis (2016-17).
In his final two years in Dallas, the Cowboys' rushing attack was among the top ten in the league. And he did it by employing the man-power system that the Raiders have used to great success over the past two seasons, including Josh Jacobs becoming the league rushing champion in 2022.
Getting back to that style of play could be the key to finding something on offense this season.
“Pad straight, eyes down, punch, physicality in front, get off the rock, hand placement, hat where it’s supposed to be,” Pierce added.
“And the only thing we talked about was just what we looked like off the offensive line. What does it look like physically from a technical point of view, from a fundamental point of view? That’s why I’m excited to see what these guys will do in practice today.”
It might seem crazy to even think about changing plans in the middle of the season, but is it even crazier to continue trying to force this line to maintain a scheme they clearly aren't designed for?
Next week, Dylan Parham could be back on the left side next to Kolton Miller. They've played there for the last two seasons, so you know they can do it. Jordan Meredith has also been on the team for the last two seasons. Power is literally Jackson Powers-Johnson's middle name. Well, OK, not really, but the Rimington Prize winner can definitely execute that plan. That just leaves rookie DJ Glaze at right tackle.
I for one think it will be exciting to see what changes there will be with this unit and whether the running game will find its footing again.