Raiders head coach Pete Carroll made what he views as an unprecedented move firing offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to avoid further disconnection among offensive personnel.
“We gave our guys a lot of leeway because of the respect we have for the coaches. But it just hasn’t quite gotten right,” Carroll said Monday. “I think we can do better.”
The Raiders averaged 3.6 yards per play over the past three games.
After never firing a coordinator during the season in his NFL tenure, Carroll has now fired the league’s highest-paid offensive coordinator (Kelly) and special teams coordinator Tom McMahon in a three-week span.
Greg Olson will be interim offensive coordinator. It’s the third time he’s been the play-caller for the Raiders (2013-14, 2018-2021). Olson has 13 years experience as a play-caller in the NFL. Carroll said their background helps him trust the offense will follow his preferences and philosophy.
Pressed for more details, Carroll said his winning formula hasn’t been captured yet. Carroll said it was “too painful” to stick with his coordinators because he knows there’s more talent and potential than the Raiders have shown.
“He’s deep into what I’m looking for,” Carroll said. “We need to run the ball better. We need to have the running game available to us. When you need it — short yardage, red zone, goal line, fourth quarter — all of those times you historically need to call on it. It’s a winning formula if you play good defense and kick the ball well.”
Carroll admitted there was some disconnect between his ideal play-calling and game plan and what Kelly was pushing to execute.
“We wanted to give him his due and all that. We just couldn’t get there,” Carroll said.
“He’s been a phenomenal coach. His past is extraordinary with all of the things he’s accomplished,” Carroll said. “At this time, we weren’t taking the next step. We were staying the same, staying the same. It wasn’t good enough for our fans and for the guys so that’s why we made the move.”
Kelly isn’t the only one at fault, Carroll reiterated on Monday, saying the plans for the week weren’t good enough on either side of the ball.
“We’ve got the guys we’ve got,” Carroll said of personnel. “So we’ve got to make them the best we can possibly make them. Take advantage of their strengths and attempt to get rid of their weaknesses. The communication on our staff and with our coaches will be really clear.”
Kelly turns 62 on Tuesday and has nearly three dozen years in coaching.
He was offensive coordinator for national champion Ohio State last season and was head coach at UCLA for six years prior to joining the Buckeyes. Kelly coached the Philadelphia Eagles and was head coach at Oregon among other roles during his 34 total years in coaching.
He said in a statement Monday to Fox Sports that he knows the bottom line in the NFL is winning.
“I am grateful for the opportunity with the Raiders,” Kelly said. “Bottom line in this league you have to win. I really loved those players, I’m a huge, huge Geno Smith fan, that was one of the best parts of this experience for me, working with Geno and those guys every day. But hey, we gotta win. I get it.”
–Field Level Media
