Official “The Athletic” thread

[Chris Cool]

Spoiler: Ranking the Raiders’ priorities among their 23 pending free agents

Ranking the Raiders’ priorities among their 23 pending free agents

By Vic Tafur Feb 8, 2021

41

The Raiders have 23 players who are set to hit the free-agent market. Spoiler alert, a lot of them shouldn’t be back. Like general manager Mike Mayock said, the Raiders had a very good offense and a terrible defense, so if you’re a defensive player on this list … maybe jump at the first offer.

The list was at 25 before tight end Jason Witten retired and backup quarterback Nathan Peterman re-signed for one more season. Peterman can battle Marcus Mariota for the backup job if Mariota re-signs for less than the $10 million he is slated to make.

There are players currently under contract who might get cut and become free agents, but this is not a story about Mariota, Tyrell Williams, Lamarcus Joyner and maybe even Trent Brown.

That’s enough suspense. Who will be a Raider next season and who is heading elsewhere? Here’s the full list, ranked in order of how Jon Gruden and Mayock likely will prioritize the group:

1. OL Denzelle Good, unrestricted free agent — Good, 29, was one of the most valuable players on the team last season, stepping in and starting 14 games up and down the offensive line. He could start at right tackle or left guard, depending on what happens to Brown and Richie Incognito. Or he could get a pretty decent offer to start for another team.

2. WR Nelson Agholor, unrestricted free agent — Agholor came into camp as the team’s No. 4 receiver and became the team’s top deep threat, finishing second in the NFL at 18.7 yards per catch. He also was one of the team’s true leaders, as we’ve covered. Agholor took the veteran minimum on a prove-it deal and obviously he did that and he deserves to test the market.

Gruden has loved him since college and must decide if he is happy with the bargain he got last year or wants to double-dip. Gruden might opt instead to put second-year players Bryan Edwards and Henry Ruggs III in the starting lineup and sign another veteran for less than Agholor wants.

3. DT Johnathan Hankins, unrestricted free agent — Gruden said it’s a priority to add an interior lineman who can push the pocket and get after the quarterback. That’s not Hankins, but he is a good run defender who the team likes and would bring back at a reasonable price. (They signed him to a two-year, $8.5 million deal in 2019.)

4. LB Nicholas Morrow, unrestricted free agent — The other player besides Agholor who questioned the accountability of his teammates — and the coaches. Morrow has paid his dues through some lean years and probably should go enjoy life on a different team, but it’s hard to gauge his market value. He has said he wants to come back, is solid in coverage and is a good blitzer, if a little undersized.

This one probably comes down to new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s evaluation. Whereas defensive line coach and Gruden-favorite Rod Marinelli could push for Hankins’ return, the Raiders have a new linebackers coach in Richard Smith.

5. K Daniel Carlson, restricted free agent — This one is just a formality. Gruden mentions Carlson breaking Sebastian Janikowski’s scoring record often, and the Raiders seemingly have found their kicker for a long time.

6. LS Trent Sieg, restricted free agent — See above. The Raiders love their young trio of Carlson, Sieg and punter A.J. Cole.

7. DE Kendal Vickers, restricted free agent — You gotta re-sign the guy who was fourth on the team for sacks. Unfortunately, Vickers only had two, but still … he is restricted so he will be back and Gruden loves the effort from the former CFL star.

8. DE Takkarist McKinley, unrestricted free agent — The former first-round pick failed a lot of physicals from other teams before the Raiders claimed him in November. He never did play for them, but they hope they convinced him that Las Vegas is the place to turn his career around.

9. RB Devontae Booker, unrestricted free agent — Like Agholor, Booker signed for the veteran minimum and surprised a lot of people. He backed up Josh Jacobs and ran for 423 yards at 4.5 a pop. He deserves a raise, and while that might come from the Raiders, they also may opt to draft a backup or add someone like Mark Ingram, who could replace the leadership lost by Witten’s retirement.

10. LB Kyle Wilber, unrestricted free agent — Special teams coach Rich Bisaccia’s guy. Made $1.2 million for 43 snaps on defense, but apparently is a key guy for a mediocre kick coverage unit.

11. S Erik Harris, unrestricted free agent — A bright spot in 2019, Harris really struggled last season and could be in trouble with a new coordinator and new defensive backs coach.

12. TE Derek Carrier, unrestricted free agent — The team’s No. 4 tight end last season, Carrier is a key special-teams guy and might move back up to No. 3 tight end with Witten’s departure. Just finished a three-year, $5.5 million deal with the Raiders.

13. WR Zay Jones, unrestricted free agent — Jones finished seventh on the team with 154 yards and is a Derek Carr favorite. Coaches thought Jones and Agholor were great role models for the young receivers, and it’s possible he is back as the No. 5 receiver again. He is only 25 years old.

14. DT Maliek Collins, unrestricted free agent — Gruden has mentioned how he has faith that linebacker Cory Littleton will bounce back from a bad first year with the team. He has said no such thing about Collins, who was largely invisible after Gruden called the former Cowboy “the key” to the Raiders defense last offseason. Still, though the Raiders paid him $6 million last season — are Gruden and Marinelli really going to admit they made that big a mistake rather than bring him back for a lot less money? Hmmm.

Maliek Collins never emerged as the key to the defense he was supposed to be. (Mark J. Rebilas/ USA Today)
15. DL Chris Smith, unrestricted free agent — Smith was a feel-good story, bouncing back from tragedy to have a key role in the upset win in Kansas City. But he was quiet the rest of the way and though he is versatile, it’s hard to imagine Bradley brings him back.

16. LB Raekwon McMillan, unrestricted free agent — In a sea of bad moves, the Raiders trading a fourth-round pick to the Dolphins for a linebacker Miami was probably going to cut got lost in the current. McMillan was supposed to be a run stopper but was gashed in the loss to the Patriots and only played 110 snaps in the 13 games after that.

17. TE Nick O’Leary, unrestricted free agent — O’Leary had a heart attack last year and was inactive, but wants to play again. That the former Jaguar is not last on this list says a lot.

18. S Dallin Leavitt, restricted free agent — He has been active for 26 games in his three-year career and has never threatened for a starting role. On some really bad defenses. Mayock seems to like him and he is restricted and cheap, so roll out the red carpet.

19. DE Vic Beasley, unrestricted free agent — The Raiders gave the former first-round pick a five-game audition and he didn’t have a sack or a quarterback hit.

20. RB Theo Riddikk, unrestricted free agent — It only makes sense bringing this veteran practice-squadder back if Gruden gets cold feet on the $3.5 million that is promised to No. 3 running back Jalen Richard. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

21. DB Nevin Lawson, unrestricted free agent — The old defensive coordinator and DBs coach forgave Lawson’s mistakes because of his veteran toughness and aggressiveness. But they are gone.

22. OT Sam Young, unrestricted free agent — The Raiders were loving the 11th-year veteran in training camp last summer. But then he was forced to play in the real games … and then often limp into the locker room.

23. CB Daryl Worley, unrestricted free agent — For who? For what? Former starter was on three teams last season for a reason.

(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)

Will rep when I can.

 

[Trav]

@Derek Lee

How the Bucs took full control of the Super Bowl with a cleverly designed run play

How the Bucs beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs: Pass rush was a coordinated attack

Steve Sarkisian, 'humble pie' and what his offense needs to succeed at Texas

 

[1thouwow]

@Derek Lee

How the Bucs took full control of the Super Bowl with a cleverly designed run play

How the Bucs beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs: Pass rush was a coordinated attack

Steve Sarkisian, 'humble pie' and what his offense needs to succeed at Texas

That’s not how it works Playboy

 

[Trav]

That’s not how it works Playboy

Whatchu talmbout? Lol

Cuh done did multiple for me before. If he don't want to, all he gotta do is say no and a nicca ain't gon trip lol.

 

[1thouwow]

Whatchu talmbout? Lol

Cuh done did multiple for me before. If he don't want to, all he gotta do is say no and a nicca ain't gon trip lol.

lol you posting the link where they not showing the full article and u gotta log in for it. You gotta copy and paste the full article in a spoiler.

 

[Trav]

lol you posting the link where they not showing the full article and u gotta log in for it. You gotta copy and paste the full article in a spoiler.

It's a request, that's why lol. I dont have that shyt. Breh who got the hook up come and post it later in the spoilers.

 

[Derek Lee]

Spoiler: How the Bucs took full control of the Super Bowl with a cleverly designed run play

How the Bucs took full control of the Super Bowl with a cleverly designed run play

By Ted Nguyen Feb 7, 2021

29

Midway through the third quarter of Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers took a commanding 28-9 lead over the Chiefs thanks to a cleverly designed run play. Everyone knows that Bruce Arians’ run game is simple: The Bucs run inside zone and a lot of “duo”. But in the big game, on the largest stage, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich called a creative counter off of duo that caught the Chiefs defense by surprise. It was the play that seemed to put the game fully out of reach, and cement the Bucs’ dominance over Kansas City.

Arians calls duo: 22/23 double. On double, the running back starts with an inside track toward the A-gap and reads the Mike linebacker. Depending on what the Mike linebacker does, the back could run it straight through the A-gap, bounce outside, or cut the play back.

However, if he chooses to bounce the play outside, he usually has to make an unblocked cornerback miss. (Note: there isn’t a cornerback drawn up in the diagram).

On the counter the Bucs ran in the Super Bowl, running back Leonard Fournette initially ran inside as he would in duo and bounced outside but he didn’t have to deal with an unblocked corner because left guard Ali Marpet pulled outside to block the corner.

7:50 remaining in the third quarter, first-and-10

When Fournette took his initial path inside, the defense collapsed inside.

The sixth offensive lineman and two tight ends on the play side easily sealed the defensive lineman, linebacker, and strong safety to that side inside, leaving only cornerback Charvarius Ward to deal with Marpet and Fournette.

Ward made a business decision and Fournette had a humongous lane in the alley to run through.



The Chiefs had a safety tilted to receiver Mike Evans on the opposite side of the run and their defense crowded near the line of scrimmage, so when Fournette got past the second level, there was no one left to tackle him. The Chiefs’ run defense has been a weakness all season but no team has been able to take full advantage of it until Sunday night, when the Bucs dominated the Chiefs en route to a 31-9 win.

 

[Derek Lee]

Spoiler: How the Bucs beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs: Pass rush was a coordinated attack

How the Bucs beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs: Pass rush was a coordinated attack

By Ted Nguyen Feb 9, 2021

37

The bye week before the Super Bowl is a game-changer. The extra time allows teams to change their stripes a bit and install tailored game plans. Though Andy Reid has been the coach lauded for the strategic dominance over the league, Bruce Arians and his staff were able to checkmate Reid before the fourth quarter by drastically changing their identity on both sides of the ball.

Throughout the regular season and up to the NFC Championship game, the Bucs used play-action at the lowest rate in the NFL, only using play-action on 20 percent of dropbacks. In the Super Bowl, they used play-action on 43 percent of dropbacks. And in the regular season, when they used play-action, they were looking to take shots. In the Super Bowl, they used play-action to get receivers open quickly in the short and intermediate parts of the field. In the regular season, Brady had an average depth of target (aDOT) of 11.2 yards. In the Super Bowl, he had an aDOT of 8.8 yards. Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich had a brilliant plan and the offense executed and was remarkably efficient, scoring 31 points in three quarters.

But enough about offense, defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and the Bucs’ defense were the true stars of the show. They didn’t allow one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses and one of the most talented quarterbacks that we have ever seen to score a single touchdown. The Chiefs’ offensive line was injury-riddled — it only had two of their five Week 1 starters available against one of the best four-man rushes in the NFL featuring Shaquil Barrett, Vita Vea, Ndamukong Suh, and Jason Pierre-Paul.

Before the game, everyone knew the mismatch was glaring and it threatened to wreak havoc on Patrick Mahomes. But we’ve seen Mahomes thrive in chaos, he’s the master of escape and making ridiculous throws from the most awkward positions. Bowles couldn’t blitz at a high rate like he normally does and leave his secondary in one-on-one situations against the Chiefs’ weapons and he couldn’t rely on a four-man pass rush without a plan to keep Mahomes in the pocket. So, Bowles kept two safeties deep nearly the entire game and turned the Bucs’ fierce pass rush into a coordinated attack.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Bucs blitzed on just 9.6 percent of dropbacks, which is the lowest rate by defenses coordinated by Bowles in the last five seasons. Bowles blitzed early in the game and then relied on simulated pressures and defensive line games with bringing more than four defenders as the game progressed.

On third downs, the Bucs frequently used an odd front with Vea at the nose and Pierre-Paul and Barrett lined up in a two-point stance on the edges. Linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David mugged both guards.

11:34 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-8

Against odd fronts, offenses will usually call man protection. On this play, the center was responsible for the nose, the guards had the linebackers, and the tackles had the ends.

The Bucs called end/linebacker twists on both sides. The ends crashed inside first to occupy the tackles, while the linebackers looped outside of them.

Right tackle Andrew Wylie (No. 77) should have passed off the end to the guard sooner, but he went too far inside and couldn’t recover in time to block White looping outside.

Mahomes got rid of the ball but both linebackers were able to get into the backfield rather easily. The pass fell incomplete and the Chiefs were forced to punt on their first offensive possession.

Instead of relying on his four-man pass to get home, Bowles tested the Chiefs’ patchwork offensive line’s ability to communicate and pass off with timely blitz calls, twists and stunts.

On their next drive, the Chiefs drove the ball into Bucs’ territory but Tampa Bay’s cleverly disguised aggressive blitz scheme forced Kansas City to settle for a field goal.

5:37 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-8

The defense initially showed a three safety deep look with an odd front, which is the trendy way to play Tampa-2 (a form of cover 2 zone with a defender in the hole between the two safeties). However, the outside corner to the boundary (top of the image) and the nickel to the field (bottom of the image) blitzed and the defense would drop into a three-deep, three underneath fire zone coverage.

The Chiefs once again called man protection against the Chiefs odd front.

This time, both linebackers dropped into coverage. The ends crashed inside to occupy the tackles, while the defensive backs rushed from the outside. Left tackle Mike Remmers (No. 75) went too far inside with Pierre-Paul and didn’t see the corner blitz until it was too late.

Whenever Pierre-Paul crashed inside, he didn’t really make a big effort to rush. Instead, he kept his eyes on Mahomes to make sure he was in a position to pursue if the quarterback scrambled.

Mahomes was able to step up and make the corner miss. While running horizontally to his left, Mahomes launched a perfect touch pass from an awkward position to Tyreek Hill running toward the sideline.

The ball went over safety Antoine Winfield’s outstretched arm but Winfield did just enough to distract Hill. The pass hit Hill on the facemask and he was unable to make the catch.

Though the pass was spectacular, Mahomes hasn’t been as productive when he’s flushed out of the pocket to his left. According to Sportradar, on 47 passes when he’s flushed to his left, Mahomes hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass and has been intercepted twice. When he’s flushed out to his right, he’s thrown eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Bowles was well aware of that and most of their four-man pass rush plan was designed to get him running left. Barrett was key in getting Mahomes to do that.

9:47 remaining in the second quarter, third-and-8

Here, the Bucs were again in their odd front with both linebackers mugged on the guards. This time, Barrett’s job was to speed rush Wylie (right tackle). Vea rushed the A-gap to the offensive right to help flush Mahomes to the left. The end opposite of Barrett rushed inside of Remmers (left tackle) to occupy him and keep White free. White’s job was to spy Mahomes but aggressively chase him once he got flushed left.

Barrett did his job and quickly beat Wylie with a rip move. Because the end to his left crashed inside, Mahomes thought he had space there and started drifting in that direction. However, White attacked the line of scrimmage as soon as he saw Mahomes move left.

The Bucs defensive line surrounded Mahomes but he somehow slipped through and threw a pass that landed right in tight end Travis Kelce’s hands, but he uncharacteristically dropped it.

Another way that Bowles deployed this strategy without using an inside linebacker was calling an E-T stunt to Mahomes’ left.

5:52 remaining in the second quarter, first-and-10

Here, Barrett’s job was again to speed rush off the offensive right’s side to flush Mahomes to his left. David bluffed the A-gap to get the center to turn away from the stunt. On the left, the end would crash inside, but instead of White pursuing Mahomes outside like in the previous example, defensive tackle Steve McLendon did.

 

[Derek Lee]

Spoiler: part 2

The Bucs weren’t really concerned with Mahomes scrambling for yards to his left. They wanted to flush him in that direction and as long as they had a player pursuing him, they were OK with the results whether he ran or had to make an amazing throwing to his weak side.

“(Mahomes is) a great quarterback,” Bowles said after the game. “But for the most part, you know if he’s not throwing the ball 30 yards down the field, we’ll take those 5- and 8-yard runs all day.”

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Bucs played two-deep safeties on 59-of-68 plays (87 percent), which is the highest rate by a Bowles-led defense in a game in the last five seasons. For most of the game, their ability to pressure with only four allowed them to sit back in coverage and take away deep passes. They played a lot of 2-man (man-to-man with two deep safeties), which made it difficult for the Chiefs to run their screen package and “solo” coverage.

When playing the Chiefs, defenses know they have to account for Hill running a crosser out of a three-by-one formation with Hill lined as the No. 3 receiver and Kelce isolated to the weakside.

1:35 remaining in the second quarter, third-and-6

With solo, the weakside safety (safety on the one-receiver side) looks for a deep crosser coming from the three-receiver side. The weakness in this defense is that it leaves the isolated receiver one-on-one. When that isolated receiver is Kelce, that could be problematic for defenses.

On this play, the Chiefs had Hill run a deep crosser and Kelce run a China stick route in which he faked like he was breaking outside before going back inside. Against the Browns in the divisional round of the playoffs, Kelce got wide open on this same concept against cornerback Denzel Ward.

Kelce broke cornerback Jamel Dean like he did Ward and got wide open. He looked to have plenty of space to make a catch for the first down, but Mahomes was instantly pressured and couldn’t get the ball to Kelce.

Up front, the defense lined in an even front. On the offensive left, Vea lined up on the edge, while Pierre-Paul was inside to take advantage of a complete speed mismatch against left guard Nick Allegretti.

David mugged the offensive left A-gap to get the center to turn in his direction.

Barrett had been beating Wylie with speed rushes on the outside early in the game, but this time, he faked going outside causing Wylie to overset before cutting inside of him. Suh looped outside of Barrett to contain Mahomes.

The center didn’t turn toward David but the outside linebacker at least got Austin Reiter to look at him. With his attention on David, Reiter couldn’t help on Barrett’s inside move.

Barrett and Pierre-Paul quickly won their matchups and had free lanes toward Mahomes. Vea’s ability to bull rush and go through Remmers rather than around him made him an effective contain player to Mahomes’ left.

Barrett and Pierre-Paul’s quick pressure and discipline staying in their rush lanes forced Mahomes to throw the ball away on third down. This red-zone stop was pivotal because the Bucs were only up 14-6 after the field goal and it preserved time for their own offense to drive for a touchdown before halftime to increase their lead to 21-6.

The Chiefs received the second-half kickoff and drove into Bucs’ territory, but once again their drive was halted by a scheme designed to flush Mahomes to his left.

12:00 remaining in the third quarter, third-and-7

The Bucs lined up with Vea, Suh and Barrett to the right, causing the offense to slide its protection that way. Suh’s job was to bull rush Wylie to flush Mahomes to the left. On the left side, Pierre-Paul crashed inside to occupy Remmers.

This time, Barrett had to come all the way from the right across to the left to pursue Mahomes.

Suh did his job and pushed Wylie into Mahomes’ lap, causing him to run left. As soon as he took a step left, Barrett was in his face. Credit to Pierre-Paul, who took Remmers inside and shortened the corner for Barrett. Pierre-Paul didn’t stop there. After going inside, he kept his eyes on Mahomes.

When Mahomes tried to reverse field to get away from Barrett, Pierre-Paul saw him and contained him to the right.

Barrett and Pierre-Paul nearly sandwiched Mahomes, who had to throw the ball across his body to Kelce. Whenever David was matched up on Kelce, he had tight coverage without much help. On this play, he was able to plaster on Kelce despite Mahomes buying time. The pass fell incomplete and the Chiefs had to settle for a field goal again. The score would be their last of the day. On the next possession, the Bucs scored a touchdown to increase their lead to 28-9 and put the game out of reach.

Could Reid have protected Mahomes better with a different game plan? Yes. “(Bowles) got us,” Reid said after the game. The Chiefs’ offensive line was completely mismatched against the Bucs’ star-studded defensive front, and the discrepancy was magnified by Bowles’ cleverly tailored game plan. The secondary held up its side of the bargain and took away the deep ball and the defensive line applied relentless pressure while keeping Mahomes contained. In the end, the Bucs’ combination of talent and smarts proved to be too much for the Chiefs to overcome.

(Top photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)

 

[Derek Lee]

Spoiler: Steve Sarkisian, ‘humble pie’ and what his offense needs to succeed at Texas

Steve Sarkisian, ‘humble pie’ and what his offense needs to succeed at Texas

By Stewart Mandel Feb 4, 2021

41

Newly hired Texas coach Steve Sarkisian ended his first Signing Day news conference Wednesday with an obligatory “Hook ‘em” hand sign, a surreal sight for those who still remember him as a head coach at Washington and USC in the first half of last decade. Even before that, in Jan. 2006, Sarkisian was on the opposite side of Texas’ last great football triumph, Vince Young’s epic national championship upset of USC.

But Texas hired the 46-year-old Sarkisian with the understanding he’s a much different coach than the one who was fired five games into the 2015 season at USC for issues related to alcohol abuse.

In an interview on The Audible podcast on Wednesday, Sarkisian discussed how he’s evolved personally and professionally the past five years during his climb back from rock bottom, first as an analyst for Nick Saban, then as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2017-18 and, most recently, as the play-caller for Alabama’s record-setting 2020 national championship offense. He has previously acknowledged undergoing addiction treatment that continued while at Alabama.

“Early in my career, I was the hottest thing cooking, man. I was on the fast track,” Sarkisian said. “I think my ego really took over who I was as a person and probably suppressed some better qualities and traits I possessed that got me to that point.

“When you get dealt that humble pie, and you don’t have a job, and you’re wondering, am I ever going to be a head coach again, or what’s my journey going to look like, and how am I going to get back to doing what I love to do? You have to just dig back into what got you there — and that’s just being the best person you can be every day.”

When Saban and then-Alabama OC/former colleague Lane Kiffin brought him on as an analyst in 2016, a humbled Sarkisian said he mostly tried to be a resource for others. He then took the same approach in Atlanta working with head coach Dan Quinn and star QB Matt Ryan. “I told myself, every day I walk into that building, I’m going to be the best version of Steve Sarkisian I can be,” he said. “How can I get to that point every single day, to be a great resource for these guys? And as I worked my way through it, I thought they really latched onto that about me, and it kind of permeated through the building. I was making a real impact on professionals.”

By the time Saban called with the opportunity to return as offensive coordinator, Sarkisian believed his new perspective would put him in a better position to mentor college-age players than during his up-and-comer days. And it certainly showed in his development of players like QB Mac Jones and Heisman winner DeVonta Smith.

Now, he’s taken his “All Gas, No Brakes” mantra to Austin, where he inherits a program not lacking for talent but in desperate need of a culture overhaul after so many years of underachieving.

“To have this opportunity now, I’m in a different space as far as it’s more about others than it is for me,” he said. “It’s more about what I can do to help them, and in return, (I) get something greater in return for me personally at that point. … And the end result is, if you develop really good relationships, you have people that want to try to emulate the same thing you bring — and that’s the best version of themselves every day. So that ultimately, you end up with a better version of a team every day.”

Perhaps most excitingly for Texas fans, the 2020 Broyles Award winner will continue calling plays. Sarkisian said the explosive offense Alabama ran last season was essentially a greatest-hits compilation of his previous 18 years of coaching — West Coast passing concepts that date to Carson Palmer-era USC and his one season as the Oakland Raiders’ QB coach under Norv Turner; zone-read and no-huddle elements he began using with QBs Jake Locker and Keith Price at Washington; RPO plays he’d been dabbling with for a decade before going all-in on them at Alabama; and play-action facets of former Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

“We think we’ve put something together that’s’ a lot of fun — for the players, for us,” he said. “We definitely call a very aggressive style of offensive football, and you get to that point by earning and gaining the trust of the players that they’re going to make good decisions and execute the calls.”

To hear the full interview with Sarkisian, download this week’s episode of The Audible.

—The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman contributed to this story.

(Photo: Vasha Hunt / AP)

 

[1thouwow]

It's a request, that's why lol. I dont have that shyt. Breh who got the hook up come and post it later in the spoilers.

You right lol

 

[Max.]

 

[Max.]

@SJUGRAD13

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

@SJUGRAD13

Spoiler

Tyrese Haliburton was sitting in his Salt Lake City hotel room on Friday afternoon, his head buried in the latest round of infuriating film and his mood souring because of all the losing he refuses to accept.

The Rookie of the Year discussion that surrounds him these days was not top of mind, nor was the weight of the painful Sacramento Kings story of which he is now a promising part. From his high school days in Oshkosh, Wisc. to Iowa State to this NBA experience that started in the California capitol because of his stunning fall to No. 12 in the November draft, Haliburton has always taken great pride in being a winning player. Yet it was all of this losing — of these games, of his starting role and perhaps even of his patience — that was front and center when we reflected on his debut campaign for nearly thirty minutes by phone.

No matter how often the fans might moan about the torturous times that came before him, with the Kings’ playoff drought that began in 2006 the league’s longest of its kind, there’s just no time for the 21-year-old Haliburton to dwell on the macro of it all when the micro demands so much of his attention. Even if it is quite remarkable that he was just six years old the last time they made it.

As Haliburton shared in a wide-ranging phone conversation with The Athletic which came one day before the Kings’ losing streak extended to six games on Saturday against the league-leading Jazz, his focus — and his frustration — is on the here and now. He wants to change the fortunes of this long-suffering franchise, to lead the way alongside De’Aaron Fox and bring the Kings and their loyal fans better basketball days.

He wants to be great — All-Star great, champion great, Hall of Fame great — and sees these early struggles as part of that process. But as these past few weeks have reminded him, lofty goals like those aren’t easily achieved in this league.

“This is frustrating,” said Haliburton, whose Kings had fallen to lowly Detroit at home the night before. “I’ve never lost like this in my life, so it’s obviously different. But I think that’s the great part about being a lottery pick is (that) now I’m expected to come into a franchise and help change the culture and help change things for the better. It’s just a part of the journey that’s not fun but is just a part of it.

“I have film up right now (in his room) that I’m watching from last night. It’s been hard, but it’s kind of the beauty in the struggle, right? It’s a lot of different emotions, and it’s learning how to deal with it and hopefully make sure it doesn’t become something that’s consistent.”

Truth be told, I was surprised Haliburton picked up the phone for this interview. It was scheduled hours before the loss to the Pistons that was as bad as any the Kings have had this season, with the assumed expectation that our chat the following day would come after a win and thus lend itself to a lighter mood. What’s more, he had just finished a team-wide film session upon landing in Utah before beginning one of his own.

The latest wounds, in other words, were fresh.

These sorts of one-on-one conversations aren’t part of the league’s media requirements, meaning the possibility alway exists that the player in question might change his mind about taking part. And while Haliburton is widely known as the affable sort, someone whose wiser-than-his-years personality has already made him a media darling of sorts, no one could blame him if he wasn’t in the right headspace to share his perspective.

Alas, here was Haliburton opening up about a number of topics that have intrigued me for quite some time. Among the highlights…

• His latest outlook on the Kings’ highs and lows, and the reasons behind “these BS games we’ve been playing.”
• His view of the Rookie of the Year race. Haliburton is third among rookies in scoring (13 points per game), second in assists (5.1 per), and first in three-point shooting among rookies who have taken at least four attempts per game (41.2 percent on 5.1 attempts per). Our Zach Harper recently ranked Haliburton second behind Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball (who has been out since March 20 with a wrist injury and could be done for the season). NBA.com’s latest “Rookie Ranking”has Haliburton second behind Minnesota’s No. 1 pick, Anthony Edwards.
• Haliburton’s reflections of how and why he fell to No. 12 on draft day. How high and low did he think he might go? Was it true, as had been suggested on ESPN’s “The Lowe Post” podcast, that he had played a part in orchestrating his path to the Kings by deterring teams from taking him? These subplots and others are discussed.
• The decision of Kings coach Luke Walton to bring Haliburton off the bench. After starting Haliburton since mid-March, Walton on Thursday moved new addition Moe Harkless into the starting lineup and cited Haliburton’s ability to lead the second unit as the primary reason.
• His view of modern life in America for a Black man. Haliburton, who added a meaningful touch on draft night by sporting a suit coat with “Black Lives Matter” embroidered on the inside, has been outspoken about the need for change on the social justice front.

So you have film in front of you right now. You guys just had a (team film) session. What are you seeing? What do you pull out of it as you all try to swing it back the other way?

I think honestly, it’s just a lot of minor details that are adding up to ultimately culminate in these BS games that we’ve been playing the last five or so games. It’s just not locking into things that are very important. They might not seem important, but when the game gets going obviously they matter. And I think that’s obviously the biggest problem. …The same problem that’s plagued us basically the whole year is that defensively we’re obviously having a terrible year. And after every game I get asked (by the media), ‘Tyrese, what’s the problem?’ I don’t want to keep saying the same thing, but the same thing is the truth, right? That’s just how it is. It’s frustrating, but again, it’s just part of it. We’ve just got to be better. I think there’s a lot of guys here that truly want to make Sacramento a desirable place for players to be and want to win games, so I think most of us are in the right space, mindset wise. But we’ve just got to go out there and do better. I mean, I think we owe ourselves to do a better job, owe our coaching staff, and even the fans of the Kings. I haven’t been able to play in front of fans or anything (because of COVID), but it’s pretty obvious that the Kings fans are pretty loyal.

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

@SJUGRAD13

Part 2

Spoiler

All in all, how would you characterize this rookie experience so far?

It’s kind of surreal to play in the NBA, and to have some success, but I’ve never had an experience like this playing the game of basketball where after every game I feel like I’m analyzing everything. And to a point, (you’re) overanalyzing some things about myself and my team. My whole life, I’ve basically grown up and been very successful in the game of basketball (as a senior at Oshkosh North High School, Haliburton won a state title and was Gatorade’s Wisconsin Player of the Year; he was second-team All-Big 12 as a sophomore at Iowa State despite missing his last eight games with a wrist injury). So to be playing right now, and kind of have these nights where we’re not very successful or playing bad and struggling at times, that obviously sucks. But me as a player, I’m just trying to grow every day. Right now, I honestly feel like I’m playing like shyt. I’m not playing up to my ability, and it’s frustrating because I feel like I owe myself better, I owe our team better. I know I’m a rookie, but I don’t like to think of it that way. I like to think I’m a valuable piece to this franchise, and if I want to make some change in this game like I talk about then I’ve got to be better on a nightly basis. I’ve talked to some great players in this league, and they talked to me about how important consistency is. For me to have as good of a career as I want, I’ve got to be better. But I’ve obviously had some success. It’s cool, but I’m sure you can tell from just talking to me that…

Yeah, it comes through.

I’m never satisfied in anything I do.

With that in mind, how’s your spirit? I went back and read some old coverage about you, and there was an interesting piece a couple years ago in the Ames Tribune about your competitiveness and adjusting to new roles from high school to college and how your spirit is a huge part of what makes you different. And to be honest, in that vein, now you have the decision that Luke (Walton) made the other day about your role. It probably wasn’t easy to have him ask you to come off the bench again.

It’s a great point you make. My whole life, (my spirit) has been something that’s honestly mattered a lot — a lot more than I think, just my spirit and the game of basketball. When I’m at my best, it’s when I’m having fun in what I’m doing, really competing on a nightly basis, smiling and having fun, right? When I’m at my worst, it’s when I’m frowning, when I’m angry about something. That’s when I suck. But again, it’s the human element. I’m not happy 24-7, you know? Especially when we’re losing. I’m not happy, you know what I’m saying? I’m a human being, at the end of the day. It is frustrating that I have to balance those things, but looking at the big picture of everything, I know that’s when I’m at my best. …I have to show up every day with a smile on my face and kind of bring my infectious personality. But again, it’s hard at times when this is happening.

And…about coming off the bench. I’m not tripping off that. At the end of the day, I’m a basketball player. I’m not just saying this because it’s a media answer. Like, (veteran Kings guard) Buddy (Hield) yelled at me yesterday because I told him this and he was like, ‘Oh, don’t give me the media answer.’ But it’s the truth. I’m a basketball player at the end of the day, so I’m coming out here to compete every night. If you put me off the bench or start me or however many minutes, I’m going to value those minutes and compete. It is what it is.

So Buddy asked you what you felt and thought you were bullshytting him?

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Obviously I have aspirations to start and be a star and be a superstar, (and) I know that that can come. I’ve just got to go about my days the right way.

Let’s go backwards a bit. I’ve been really fascinated by all the different machinations that led to you landing in Sacramento. You’re one of the bigger draft surprises in the past few years in terms of being a guy who was widely seen as a top five talent, and then next thing you know the Kings are ecstatic to be getting you at No. 12. On that day, where did you think you might land on the high end? Where were the surprises, if any, for you? What’s the real story on your side about how you got to Sac?

You know, I think there were a lot of emotions going into the day. A lot of ideas. A lot of questions. On draft day, specifically, I thought I could go as high as (No.) 2 to Golden State. The realistic spots I was thinking were Golden State at 2, Chicago at 4, maybe Atlanta at 6, Detroit at 7, San Antonio at 11 and Sacramento at 12. This, of course, was without any trades happening. But I knew the floor was Sacramento. That was the discussion I had with my agent (Aaron Mintz of CAA). He was like, ‘Sacramento is going to pick you at 12 if you’re there.’ So that day — and I’m going to be honest with you — I keep my expectations low in basically everything I do so I don’t end up ever disappointing myself. I was like, ‘Alright I’m probably going to wind up going 12. I doubt they’re going to pick me at 2. I doubt I’m going to get picked at 4 — whatever, whatever.’ So that night comes around, and the picks keep happening. And I wasn’t surprised by any. To be honest, for a second I thought I was going to Washington (at No. 9). They were like, ‘Alright, you’re going to go to Washington.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, ok. I haven’t even met with them, but that works.’