Offseason practices have been 86’d and we’re now 86 days until the season opener. Can you believe Lee Smith is entering his fourth season with the Raiders? It may not seem that way because he missed all but four games in 2016 due to injury.
That season, despite their offense leading the way to 12 wins, they missed Smith’s contributions. Without him, the team used a lot of jumbo packages with a tackle eligible. That may work from a blocking standpoint, but it essentially removes any need for a defender to stay at home in coverage.