Rookie’s nose for the end zone will help
The Las Vegas Raiders franchise history is full of fan favorites when it comes to star players. Raider Nation loves its role players too, and one of the memorable ones is Zach Crockett.
Crockett was the fullback for the Raiders from 1999 to 2003. During that span, he scored 32 touchdowns, all of them coming inside the red zone. He finished seventh in red-zone touchdowns by a running back after leaving the Raiders after the 2003 season.
@RaiderClassics Wildcard Moments:
“You know whats coming and u still can’t stop it!”…thats what Jerry Porter said when Zack Crockett scored this goal line TD!#RaiderNation #Raiders pic.twitter.com/jEvdS9dPyq— NYCRaider88 (@NYC_Raider88) January 15, 2022
After the past four seasons, the Raiders’ red zone issues are a regurgitated but necessary topic. Ineptitude isn’t the word for their performance in that area of the field. The focus of the moves this offseason has been to bolster the offense.
Davante Adams, during his career, has 57 red zone touchdowns, the most since 2014. His presence will elevate the passing game immediately, helping them finish drives.
The secret issue was the run game and the struggles of Josh Jacobs. While on the surface, Jacobs is third overall in red zone touchdowns with 27. When you dig deeper, his rushing touchdown percentage is 19% ranking 46th out of qualifying running backs since 2019.
Josh McDaniels’ vision for this offense was brought to the light when he selected Brittain Brown from UCLA. This past season he recorded seven touchdowns inside the 10-yard line alone. Where he lacks in long speed to become an every-down back, he can help in the red zone right away.
The video below displays his knack for finding the holes to make it into the end zone. He scored two touchdowns vs. Oregon, and there isn’t a hole for Brown to run through. He does a great job of getting skinny in the hole and playing behind his pads to get into the end zone.
His patience when allowing blocks to develop comes into play as well. In this play, his center gets pushed into the backfield. Brown can make the correct adjustment and find the hole in the end zone.
McDaniels surprised everyone with the seventh-round pick at running back. As long as a plan is in place, it can make sense for the greater good to make the playoffs.