Talented offensive line and improved coaching
On the Raiders roster, there may not be a more talented unit than the offensive line. Across the board, the Raiders have one of the best offensive lines in the league. Which, when looking at the financial investment the team has made to the big guys up front, makes a lot of sense. According to Spotrac, the Raiders have the ninth most expensive offensive line with nearly $38 million committed to them. Overall, that is 21 percent of the team’s total salary cap. With that much money tied to one unit, they better be impressive.
So far, Oakland’s offensive line has not disappointed. According to NFL.com, the Raiders ranked fifth in overall offensive line play, allowing the fewest quarterback hits with 51 and the third fewest amount of sacks with 24. Those are both pass blocking statistics, but when it comes to run blocking, they are no slouch either. In terms of yards per rush, the Raiders ranked 13th with 4.2, reflecting impressive offensive line play. In addition, the play calling was atrocious last season, with the Raiders running an absurd amount of zone-run plays with an offensive line more suited for a power-run style.
Heading into 2018, the Raiders offensive line is ranked seventh, slightly lower than their 2017 finish, but still top ten. New head coach Jon Gruden is keen on utilizing a power-run style and incorporating a lead-blocking fullback. Both are concepts that should improve the running game. Many people point out that new offensive line coach Tom Cable is a notorious zone-blocking coach, but that does not mean the team will exclusively use zone-blocking. Ideally, there will be a healthy combination of the two. Regardless, the offensive line will be more than capable of creating holes for Lynch to burst through.
Everything mentioned above is good news for Lynch. Gruden’s commitment to grinding out games via the run bodes well for Lynch. Utilizing a fullback in Keith Smith makes the situation even sweeter for Lynch. Also, Lynch and Cable are familiar with one another. From 2011-2017, Cable served as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator in Seattle. During those same years, Lynch only failed to surpass 1,000 yards once, and it was during his shortened 2015 season. This is an amazing situation for Lynch as he is running behind a supremely talented offensive line, and has two coaches committed to optimizing his production.
Look for Beast Mode to have a breakout 2018 season where he surpasses 1,000 rushing yards and reaches double-digit touchdowns.