The Las Vegas Raiders, in a move that surprised absolutely no one paying attention, have shown Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly the door. The firing came Sunday night, hot on the heels of a truly pathetic 24-10 drubbing by the Cleveland Browns that sent the Raiders spiraling to a 2-9 record. It seems that Head Coach Pete Carroll finally had enough of watching his offense move with all the urgency of a sloth on tranquilizers.
“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release,” Carroll said. “I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”
This whole experiment with Kelly, who was lured from a cushy gig at Ohio State with a reported $6 million annual salary, has been a spectacular failure. The man was supposed to be an offensive guru, the guy who would finally fix the Raiders’ perpetually sputtering engine. Instead, he oversaw an offense that was an absolute train wreck.
The Carnage Of Kelly’s Offense
Let’s just run through the stats, shall we? Under Kelly, the Raiders were tied for dead last in the league in scoring, averaging a measly 15.0 points per game. They were 30th in total yards, 31st in rushing, and scored fewer than 10 points in four separate games.
Quarterback Geno Smith, who was supposed to thrive under Kelly’s system, looked completely lost. He’s tied for the league lead with 13 interceptions, which, coincidentally, is the same number of touchdowns he’s thrown. That’s not a ratio you write home about. On Sunday, the Browns’ defense treated the Raiders’ offensive line like a turnstile, sacking Smith a whopping 10 times. He was under pressure on a season-high 23 drop-backs.
Kelly’s Classy Exit
To his credit, Kelly didn’t throw a fit on his way out. He understands the brutal math of the NFL. “I am grateful for the opportunity with the Raiders; bottom line in this league you have to win,” Kelly said to NFL insider Jay Glazer. “I really loved those players, I’m a huge, HUGE Geno Smith fan… But hey, we gotta win. I get it.”
It is a classy message, but it doesn’t change the reality: the Kelly era in Las Vegas lasted all of 11 games. It was a high-priced, high-profile gamble that blew up in the Raiders’ face. Now, they’re left to pick up the pieces of yet another broken season, firing coordinators midseason for the second year in a row. For the Raiders and their long-suffering fans, it is just another day in paradise.
