One thing the Raiders don’t have to worry about this offseason is their offensive line.
The fivesome of Donald Penn, Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson and Austin Howard (or Menelik Watson) is one of the best in the NFL.
The analytic website Pro Football Focus graded the Raiders as having the fourth-best offensive line in the league this past season, and a big reason for the Raiders’ 12-4 regular-season record.
Behind the blockers up front, quarterback Derek Carr and Co. ranked as the No. 6 team in total offense, averaging 373.3 yards per game. The line allowed just 18 sacks in 16 games and opened up enough holes for the running attack to average 120.1 yards per game.
Aside from the players doing the blocking, the most important piece of the success of the unit has been offensive line coach Mike Tice, a longtime NFL assistant who has created a terrific group by melding the new (Osemele and Hudson) and the young (Jackson) with holdovers (Penn, Howard, Watson) in his two years on the job under head coach Jack Del Rio.
So, re-signing Tice should be a priority for the Raiders front office this offseason.
Robert Ortiz, who writes about the Raiders for the Just Blog Baby website, recently wrote that what Tice has done in Oakland is "nothing short of remarkable."
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Recently, the Raiders allowed offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave to depart when his two-year deal expired, replacing him with former quarterbacks coach Todd Downing. But retaining Tice should be a no-brainer decision, wrote Kevin Boilard of CBS Sports, noting Tice is "one of the team’s most accomplished assistants."
After the Raiders signed Osemele this past offseason, Tice said he was excited about Oakland having the potential to be one of the best blocking units in the league. Then the Raiders lived up to those expectations.
Center Rodney Hudson, selected to the Pro Bowl this season, credits Tice.
"He’s a great coach," Hudson told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He’s smart, he’s honest, he’s been around a long time and he always has an answer for you. He does a great job, throughout the game, of making adjustments. Because you don’t always make it to halftime to make adjustments."
