The Raiders 1-4 start to the season is among the more disappointing in the AFC, if only because this roster is theoretically built to win now. This offseason, Vegas traded for former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith with the hope he'd be an answer at the most important position in football. So far, Smith has been anything but that. Geno has thrown nine interceptions on the season, far and away the most in the NFL. On Sunday, the Raiders lost 40-6 to the Colts and Smith added another two interceptions to his miserable resume.
Head coach Pete Carroll, who was also hired to win right away, admitted he considered making the switch from Geno to backup quarterback Kenny Pickett in Week 5's loss. That's not to say Pickett has done much of anything to earn the starting job. However, Smith has been that bad to earn a spot on the bench.
"We need the reps. ... We need to run the system," Carroll said. "We need to see the guys get their opportunities to improve. It's not like a big change."
Why Pete Carroll will stay the course with Raiders QB Geno Smith
Carroll ultimately did not bench Smith in favor of Pickett because he knows the best version of this Raiders offense is with the former under center. For better or worse, the Raiders are committed to Geno. Smith took the blame for his performance and the Raiders loss postgame, which is a step in the right direction and demonstrates his leadership in what can only be described as a deflated locker room.
“I’m never discouraged,” Smith said postgame. “I don’t have it in my body to be down, or feel bad, or feel sad, I don’t have no pity in me. I’m going to grind it out. I’m going to figure it out, that’s just how I am...Again, if something doesn’t look right out there — offense, defense, special teams — put it on me.”
What Smith does offer at his best is a gunslinger mentality and the ability to fit the ball into tight spaces. Last season in Seattle, he was arguably better than his eventual replacement, Sam Darnold. That player remains in Smith, somewhere. It's Carroll's job to unlock him, and find a way to get the Raiders back on track. The return of Brock Bowers, who missed Sunday's game with a knee injury, would go a long way.
Kenny Pickett isn't the answer for the Raiders – just ask his former teams
As for Pickett, we've been down this road before. Pickett was selected in the first round out of Pitt by the Steelers in a desperate attempt to replace Ben Roethlisberger. This was despite most pundits and scouts projecting Pickett as a third-round grade. Pickett was just productive enough to win games in Pittsburgh thanks to a stout defense behind him. He also didn't turn the ball over, and had a couple of memorable two-minute drills and game-winning drives. No one can take that away from him, though at this point it's fair to say the Steelers were winning games in spite of Pickett, not thanks to his skillset.
Pickett is, if anything, a safe choice. However, what the Steelers had that these Raiders don't is a roster built to win games with a game manager at quarterback. That's what Pickett is, and the second teams expect anything more from him, he runs into a brick wall. The majority of Pickett's production has come on underneath throws and sideline routes. He's allergic to throwing the ball over the middle, and thus would waste a player like Bowers at his disposal.
Perhaps the most damning indictment of Pickett is what occurs when he runs into adversity. In Pittsburgh, he asked for a trade when Mike Tomlin wouldn't guarantee him starter's reps in training camp after they signed Russell Wilson. With the Browns, he couldn't stay healthy enough to earn the starting job outright over the likes of Joe Flacco, who has since been benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel. Does this sound like someone the Raiders should hand the keys to, let alone build around?
Carroll is smart enough to look at the pieces of evidence in front of him. Pickett's had his chances, and fallen short every time.