Skip to main content

Could Morrison Lose His Job?


The coaching staff has done a good job giving the appearance of competition at linebacker. The only secure position appears to be WLB. That is Thomas Howard.

Ricky Brown has been getting a lot of reps at starting MLB and Jon Alston a lot of first team reps at SLB.

Come the season, Morrison could be right back at MLB and Ricky Brown at SLB, but is that a lock or are the coaches actually considering making a change?

Cable admits they have thought about moving Morrison outside. At SLB he could have the opportunity to drop into coverage more and would also help cover up a weaker than expected job plugging the run.

The question is can Ricky Brown be better in the middle? If they have considered it seriously, why isn't Morrison getting snaps at SLB?

The dark horse in this is Jon Alston. If both Alston and Brown produce at SLB and MLB, could Morrison find himself on the bench in certain scenarios?

Mostly, I think the coaches are trying to push Morrison. He must be better at plugging holes and you probably wont see the MLB drop into coverage as much under John Marshall as under Rob Ryan. If Morrison proves incapable of plugging the run consistently at MLB, the best thing would be to find a linebacker who can. It isn't as if Morrison wouldn't be used, his strength as a coverage LB would make him the front runner to play SLB should they award the MLB to Brown.

The Raiders have been getting away with having 3 or less decent linebackers on the roster for several years. Now the Raiders have 5 versatile linebackers with rookie Slade Norris being the fifth.

Going into camp, I didn't think LB was a position to watch, but it certainly is now. Who will emerge as the starters? More than that, will they continue to be every down LB?

On run heavy downs it might make sense to take out Alston and Howard in favor of some combo of Brown, Morrison and Norris.

On passing heavy downs it might make sense to have a Howard, Morrison, Alston combo.

The common player in both alignments is Morrison. Morrison could lose his job as captain or at MLB, but he will likely still be on the field a lot, just where?

Expect the unexpected, predict the likely. Morrison will be and is being challenged. I predict he will rise to the challenge and plug the run better this season. I also predict more of a LB rotation this season than in the past.

Morrison remains a fan favorite. He is one of my favorites as well. However, he must plug the run better. Turd Sands sure isn't going to help. Kelly will jump offsides trying to rush the passing and that will leave a gapping hole for opposing RBs.

Can we call KC and see what it would take to get Glenn Dorsey? He is a horrible fit in the 3-4 as we will all see this season.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Raiders Swing for the Fences in 2016 NFL Draft

[embed align="center"]http://gty.im/153039819[/embed] These aren't your daddy's Oakland Raiders or even your younger self's Raiders. If anything, these are your newborn's Raiders or your puppy's Raiders. These are the Raiders we've never seen before. Indicative of the freshness of the franchise was their 2016 NFL Draft. No longer slave to a high draft pick and desperate needs, the theme of the draft for the Raiders was upside. It's as if general manager Reggie McKenzie got so used to hitting his draft picks out of the park that he started swinging for the fences. We'll have to wait a couple of years before we know if he struck out or if he'll continue his Ruthian ways. First, McKenzie boldly went with a safety at No. 14 overall. Kyle Joseph is coming off a torn ACL and fills a major need, but safety isn't a premium position. Only a handful of safeties have been drafted in the first 14 picks in the last 15 years and include names like Ea
Post a Comment
Read more

The Raiders aren't who we thought they were....they're better

The Oakland Raiders are tired of being the team that will be good in a year or two. The team expects to win now and it is winning now. We thought the Raiders needed more talent. We thought that being in the playoff hunt was a year away for this team, but we were wrong. This isn't the team we thought they were, they're better. On Sunday, they moved to 3-3 on Sunday with a 37-29 win over the San Diego Chargers that wasn't close until the final minute. It was also the Raiders second road win of the season. The last time the Raiders had two road wins by their sixth game was 2011. Before that, a five-year streak from 1998-2002. The Raiders went 8-8 in 1998, 1999 and 2011 and narrowly missed the playoffs each year.  They made the playoffs in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They didn't have a losing record in any of those seasons because teams that can win on the road are usually pretty good. As the season matures, there is more and more evidence that some of the "best-case scenario
Post a Comment
Read more

Oakland Raiders' Studs and Duds From Preseason Week 1

[embed]http://gty.im/484069738[/embed] The Oakland Raiders finally look like a competitive football team again. That should be the biggest takeaway from their preseason rout of the St. Louis Rams. Quarterback Derek Carr and the offense looked significantly improved from a year ago, thanks in large part to some of the studs listed below. The starting defense was still a little shaky, but there were still a few bright spots. Overall, the Raiders can feel good about their first live action of the year, especially since there appeared to be no significant injuries to come out of it. Studs Rodney Hudson Of all general manager Reggie McKenzie's offseason acquisitions, he committed the most money to center Rodney Hudson. Offensive linemen rarely get the praise they deserve, but a great offensive line as anchored in the middle can be huge for an offense. Hudson was very solid in his debut against a very good defensive front. If Hudson and the offensive line can consistently protect Carr an
3 comments
Read more