Raiders offense: Honest McCormick gives the running game what was missing

The sincere McCormick embodies the phrase “Patience is a virtue.”

The running back joined the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent in May 2022 after an electrifying college career at the University of Texas at San Antonio (USTA), but suffered a torn ACL and knee ACL before the start of rookie camp, which led to serious injuries ended his first season with the professionals.

But at just 21 years old, time was on McCormick’s side. But as with NFL circumstances, when McCormick was healthy he found himself in a very crowded running back room that featured workhorse Josh Jacobs, rookie Zamir White and veterans Brandon Bolden and Ameer Abdullah.

This led to McCormick completing training stints with the squad and he started the 2024 season again as a member of the taxi squad. But the now 24-year-old was undeterred and stuck with the ball before injuries decimated the space and he finally got the chance to wear the silver and black stone.

And if McCormick continues to shine, there may be no looking back.

With a low center of gravity that gives him balance, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound player is perfect for the Raiders’ running game and offense. Although McCormick is small, he is stocky and has surprising strength. This patience he has shown throughout his career is also evident when he is given the ball while waiting for blocks to develop rather than galloping forward like a racehorse (a nod to White’s running style). ).

McCormick briefly showed off his skills and running style in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos when he rushed for 33 yards on five carries. And in his most significant action of the year, he rushed for 64 yards on 12 carries in last week’s 19-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. It was this game where McCormick’s patience, determination and fast-paced style were seen.

“What you see on game days, Sundays and Fridays last week is what we saw every day in practice – a guy who ran hard, runs hard, has good vision, is decisive and hits the hole,” Raiders said -Head coach Antonio Pierce of McCormick during Wednesday’s media availability. “The first player isn’t attacking him at the moment, and that was an important factor for us in the run game, not being attacked by that first defender. So he makes the most of his opportunity. He will continue to get opportunities. I said that last week. I think he had 12 runs and hopefully we can increase that a little bit this week.”

While the sample size remains tiny – 17 carries for 97 yards (an average of 5.7 yards per carry) – McCormick gives Las Vegas the juice and pop that USTA fans were accustomed to during his three-year stint in Conference USA, where he totaled 3,929 Yards and Galloped A total of 34 touchdowns on 724 aircraft carriers. So much so that McCormick will likely no longer move from the practice squad to the active roster, as the Raiders have made him a starter after placing wide receiver and special teams dynamo DJ Turner on injured reserve.

A productive running back who can consistently gain yards is a key factor in why the Raiders have the worst rushing yards (937) and average per carry (3.7) of all 32 teams, as well as 31st prove in experiments (256). . All of this makes McCormick’s production seem like a godsend in comparison.

But a side effect of a balanced, decisive and productive defense in the backcourt is that interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner can spur play-action, and this time defenders bite on the run fake rather than scoff at the notion.

This proves invaluable for quarterback Aidan O’Connell, as he teams with rookie tight end Brock Bowers and speedy wide receiver Tre Tucker for 33-yard and 58-yard touchdowns, respectively. Both plays involved long throws that resulted in explosive results (20 yards or more).

Las Vegas was able to do this against an aggressive and usually strong Kansas City defense led by Steve Spagnuolo, which impressed Pierce.

“No, pretty impressive. I mean, the whole week was impressive for our guys, right? After a tough loss to Denver, it’s clear that now there’s a division opponent and you’re playing and you think, “Okay, short away week, your 14-point underdogs.” And then there’s a quarterback coming off the bench, and “We thank Aidan (O’Connell) because in the game we had last year, we didn’t make a pass after the first quarter,” Pierce noted. “And here he was turning and dishing out until the last two minutes of the ballgame. So it’s a credit to the guys who were prepared and didn’t flinch because Spags and the defense were pushing the whole time. I thought he got the ball out of his hands quickly, was decisive and made some great plays for us.”

A cynic will look at McCormick’s two-game production and conclude that the small sample size has little value. This is actually a correct way of thinking. We’ll have to see if the tailback continues to be a productive part of the Las Vegas backfield in the final five games of the season – the first of which comes against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that features a run defense that ranks 12 yards allowed (1,406).

The Raiders’ running backroom lacked consistency. And now is McCormick’s chance to change that narrative.

“He did a really good job, I talked about the quarterback, like the quarterbacks, obviously the main decision maker that everyone talks about, but like the running back, he’s also a decision maker because he decides where we’re going to run the ball ” Turner said of McCormick. “Of course we have a plan, but they have to execute their vision and he has done a really good job. Ameer also ran the ball very well. But Sincere was decisive, he got the ball where it needed to be for the most part and then he did a really good job of not letting the first player tackle him. And that may only be a five-yard gain, but if the first guy beats you by two yards and we get five yards, now it’s second and five yards, and that makes a big difference to the entire offense. And he did a good job of getting those 11-yard gains for both him and Ameer. It’s like now you get a first down and you get to first down and 10 is huge.”