Raiders may try something different in offensive approach against Browns

Davante Adams channeled the feelings of many Raiders’ fans when asked about getting the team’s running game moving in the right direction earlier this week.

He didn’t want any part of it.

“Balance, schmalance,” Adams said before pausing and choosing his next words carefully. “Balance is, in my opinion, no, I’m not even going to, nevermind. It’s important to be an efficient football team, no matter what vehicle you use to control your offense.”

There’s no getting around the fact that the Raiders haven’t put together an efficient offense through three games this season, especially not when they’ve employed their preferred vehicle to move the ball.

Las Vegas sits 27^th in the NFL for offense by two preeminent advanced metrics — DVOA and expected points added (EPA) per play. The Raiders sit dead last in both measures for rushing offense alone.

They are averaging 3.5 more yards per play when they throw the ball — the largest discrepancy in the league.

No numbers are needed to see how much they’re struggling on the ground, though. It was readily apparent to the 62,417 fans in attendance in Sunday’s 36-22 loss to the Panthers, and they weren’t as political about it as Adams.

Boos rained down on the Raiders when they started the second half repeatedly calling on the same type of rushes for running back Zamir White up the middle where he hasn’t found any holes all year.

“We are what we are now, the worst running team in football,” coach Antonio Pierce said this week. “And that's not something I'm proud of, our staff is not proud of and I'm sure our team is not. And again, we're going to get in here and we're going to chip away after we make the corrections and be honest with one another.”

Tweaks and corrections are coming, Pierce has emphasized on multiple occasions this week. He’s just not going to reveal them publicly.

Everyone will have to wait until Sunday’s Week 4 game against Cleveland kicking off at 1:25 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium to see the solutions.

Stubbornness may have sunk the Raiders’ hopes to win their second straight game in last week’s home opener as they were too far down once they finally decided to abandon the run. That’s not going to happen again versus the Browns.

Las Vegas is at least giving indications that it’s going with a different approach.

“I know last week didn’t look and feel the way anybody wanted it to,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. “We are all on the same page there, but we feel like we’re getting better.”

“We’re excited to go back and get another crack it.”

Although Pierce won’t specify the changes, he’s said everything is on the table from personnel to scheme. Expect at least a couple different players in the starting lineup against the Browns on the offensive line.

Blocking has been the Raiders’ biggest problem as they dropped another spot to the No. 30 ranked unit in the league by Pro Football Focus after the Panthers’ loss.

Right tackle Thayer Munford went down with knee and ankle injuries early in the defeat and did not return. He also hasn’t practiced this week.

That meant the first playing time for rookie third-round pick DJ Glaze, whom both Getsy and Pierce praised afterwards. Glaze made a push for Munford’s job in training camp and may now be unlikely to give it up if he stays on the same trajectory.

Meanwhile, Pierce wasn’t shy about declaring rookie second-round pick Jackson Powers-Jackson has earned a bigger role going forward. Powers-Johnson didn’t end up starting last week but relieved right guard Dylan Parham for stretches.

If he’s placed into the starting lineup, left guard might still be the ideal spot as PFF has graded out Cody Whitehair as the Raiders’ weakest offensive lineman.

“I think there's nobody that's played great in these first three games on our team, myself included,” Adams said. “So, we've got to find a way to keep that confidence strong and high. And we've got a lot of guys that have done it for a long time and have made plays that can remind some of the younger guys that maybe their confidence slips in moments like this.”

Las Vegas had its best stretch of offense this season in a fourth-quarter comeback against the Baltimore Ravens when quarterback Gardner Minshew got into a lethal rhythm with Adams and rookie tight end Brock Bowers.

But both players were minimized against the Panthers, seeing their receptions and yardage totals decrease by more than 70% apiece.

Adams might be able to swallow the decreased workload more easily if the run game was clicking in the fashion Pierce and Getsy envisioned when installing the new zone scheme during training camp. But that hasn’t happened with White having only accounted for 102 yards on 32 carries on the season and backup Alexander Mattison chipping in 27 yards on 12 carries.

The Raiders are going to keep trying to run the ball, but they sound more open to trying to alternate paths to success.

“I think we're going to look at a lot of different ways to open up the run game,” Minshew said. “That helps the offense so much. And we got some great backs, we’ve got to give them an opportunity. So, whatever we’ve got to do to help them out, we’ve got to do it."

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or