Luke Getsy knew the bullseye was on him last Thursday.
“We’re in a new system, got new players, first-time head coach, we’re all working together to get this ship righted, to get this thing going in the same direction,” the former Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator said then. “It’s a process that continues to improve, (from) the game-day communication to the way we practice and the expectations every single day and on game day.”
Ironically, a hot start in Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals hurt Getsy, as he was fired after the game. For the fourth time in five games (all losses), the Raiders scored a touchdown on the first possession. They had only had 10 offensive points and 147 yards the rest of the game.
“The last five games, we’d come out the gate like bulls, right?” head coach Antonio Pierce said Monday morning. “Going down the field, second possession pretty good … and then we kind of like hit a brick wall. … And it just became apparent that, obviously, we weren’t doing enough as a staff and as a team to overcome our mistakes and downfalls.”
Pierce also fired offensive line coach James Cregg and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, as the 2-7 team hits the “reset” button during its bye week, as Pierce said.
“Had confidence in Luke that we would get it turned around,” Pierce said. “And once I felt like we needed to make a change, I did.”
Pierce hired Getsy just eight months ago, so how did this go off the tracks so quickly?
The Raiders rank last in the league in rushing (77 yards per game), 29th in total offense (280), last in offensive turnovers (19) and turnover margin (-14). Pierce said the offensive problems this season were “shocking.”
But maybe “mildly surprising” is a more appropriate phrase.
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After all, Getsy was Pierce’s third choice for the job, after Kliff Kingsbury had a last-minute change of heart and Chip Kelly, according to a league source, wanted to bring too many people from his college staff along with him.
The Raiders reached an agreement with Kingsbury, but Kingsbury withdrew his name from consideration due to either interest from the Washington Commanders or what was said to be a contract dispute. Kingsbury wanted a three-year deal, but the Raiders wouldn’t go beyond a two-year contract that they offer other assistants.
Kingsbury instead became the Commanders’ offensive coordinator, and his hire has been a resounding success. With rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels leading the way, the Commanders are 7-2 with an explosive offense averaging 29.2 points per game (fourth in the NFL).
Pierce’s main reason for choosing Getsy, he said, was because “he whooped our ass” with the Chicago Bears in 2023. (Getsy also interviewed with the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints after he was fired in January following a two-year run as the Bears’ offensive coordinator.)
The Bears averaged just 19.2 points per game (23rd) and 21.2 points per game (18th) in his two seasons. Chicago had an excellent run game during his tenure, but it was difficult to identify many other reasons why he should get another shot as an offensive coordinator so quickly. But the Raiders apparently blamed the Bears’ issues on quarterback Justin Fields and not Getsy.
Then, Pierce said all winter that he didn’t want a stopgap quarterback, but that’s exactly what the Raiders got in Gardner Minshew II after they realized they weren’t going to be able to trade up into the top three picks in the draft. It seemed like the Raiders hoped that incumbent Aidan O’Connell would beat Minshew out at training camp, but neither was sharp.
Maybe Getsy sensed that the offensive line was going to be an issue — veterans Kolton Miller, Andre James and Cody Whitehair struggled, while rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson has had some growing pains — because league sources said he preferred Minshew because of his mobility. He never could have imagined how bad the running game would be, reducing a lot of play-action options, or that Minshew was going to lead the league in turnovers.
Minshew was benched for the third time this season on Sunday, and Desmond Ridder threw a garbage-time touchdown pass. Pierce said he’ll use the Raiders’ bye in Week 10 to decide who’ll start at quarterback and who’ll call the offensive plays moving forward. The latter is likely to be passing game coordinator Scott Turner, who was mediocre in three seasons as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2022. O’Connell will be sidelined until at least Week 13 due to a broken thumb, and it’s hard to see them going back to Minshew again over Ridder.
It must be noted, of course, that play calling is far from the only reason the Raiders offense has been bad. Minshew, O’Connell and Ridder have all had their struggles, and a bad offensive line has also been dinged and was down to its last five healthy guys at the end of the Bengals game.
Tight end Brock Bowers has been sensational, but the Raiders’ plan to lean on 12 personnel was axed when Michael Mayer began a lengthy absence in Week 4 due to personal reasons. And, lastly, the receiver corps is mediocre at best after Davante Adams wanted out and was traded to the New York Jets last month.
That brings us to another (and maybe the biggest) issue for Getsy: Adams was supposed to be his guy. Getsy was on the Green Bay Packers’ staff for seven of Adams’ eight years with the franchise, and Adams said he was consulted before the Raiders hired Getsy. In the three games they spent together with the Raiders, however, Adams felt he wasn’t utilized properly.
“They see ‘trade demand’ and they think it’s like, he wants out, he’s quitting on the team,” Adams told reporters last month. “When it’s more about just being able to feel like I can. … I don’t want that helpless feeling when I’m on the field.
“Not every game is going to be a 100-yard game or 150-, 200-yard game. But I want to feel like I can impact the game every time I touch the field … versus getting out there on the field and feeling like we need too many things to go right in order for me to be successful.”
Adams went on to say that the Raiders too often let defensive coverages dictate whether to throw him the ball or not. When asked about that, Getsy steered clear of looking back.
“After all those conversations his whole time here, for whatever reason, it went the way that it went,” he said.
Adams’ departure wasn’t on Getsy — his frustration was built over several years, Minshew’s poor play was a driving factor and Pierce had his own issues with the wideout — but he’s far from blameless. And, without Adams, Getsy seemed to run out of possible answers to turn the offense around. He transitioned from calling plays on the sidelines to doing so in the press box in Week 6, but it didn’t make much of a difference. In the last couple of weeks, the offense constantly fell victim to the same issues.
The reasons for the Raiders’ five-game losing streak that dropped them into a tie for the worst record in the NFL are multifaceted. The roster isn’t good enough. Injuries have continued to mount. Pierce’s in-game decision-making has been bad. Firing Getsy may have been the only move right now, but it doesn’t mean the Raiders’ struggles are over.
“We’ve got to do what’s best and gives us the best opportunity to win, whatever that may be,” Pierce said. “If it’s throwing the ball 60 times, fine. If it’s running it 60 times, fine. But we’ve got to find a balance and an identity on offense going forward.”
(Top photo: David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
