ALAMEDA – Dennis Allen was a lightning rod for criticism during his time as Raiders head coach. It spread around some after his firing but, over the last few weeks, ire has honed in on offensive coordinator Greg Olson.
He orchestrates an epically bad offense ranked last in rushing, scoring and total yards, and has taken significant flak for its failings. Olson is fighting an uphill, possibly unwinnable battle, with a rookie quarterback, ineffective rushers and receivers who struggle to get separation.
Play calling, fans believe, is the main problem. They’ve taken to twitter and talk radio airing their grievances, demanding Olson’s responsibilities be stripped.
Olson doesn’t frequent those mediums, but he knows the talk is out there.
“I have never paid attention to that, just based upon the fact that whether you’re doing well or not doing well, you never want it to affect your work performance during the week,” Olson said in a press conference. “I’ve tried not to pay attention to it, but I also understand the responsibility of the job as an offensive coordinator in the National Football League. I’ve done this 14 years, and I’ve been a coordinator at different places.
“I understand the frustration, and I don’t think there is anybody that this has affected more than myself. Certainly, I understand I’ve got to do a better job and that the job has not been up to par at this point.”
Olson remains committed to the cause and his team’s progression. Interim head coach Tony Sparano considers him among the league’s best offensive minds.
He has a track record of success, and has made the best of some bad situations. He revamped his offense for athletic quarterback Terrelle Pryor last season, and tweaked things again when Matt McGloin took over.
He helped the 2013 rushing attack thrive despite an injury-ravaged offensive line and a backup running back in Rashad Jennings.
This season, however, things haven’t gone right. Olson understands that. He also knows that criticism comes with the job.
“I think you always that going in and know that it’s, again, part of the profession,” Olson said. “There is a responsibility to the fans and to the players and to the team and to myself to do better. Right now, that hasn’t happened. But, we’ll continue to work hard to get better.”
Olson believes there is talent on the offensive side, with young players that need to develop under a stable system. That’s something the Raiders haven’t had. There has been too much turnover for that.
“There are some pieces there that you can build on,” Olson said. ”Certainly a lot of it falls on the quarterback, and I think now that there is a quarterback in place here. We’ve had to … When I say we, when you just look at the last three years when you’ve switched head coaches, switched offensive coordinators, switched systems.
"We did a different system for [Terrelle] Pryor. There has been a lot of change here. When you look at the whole thing, get some stability here, whether that’s with me or without me, with Tony Sparano, without Tony Sparano, I just think there has got to be some continuity here for these players and this team.”
It’s uncertain, though unlikely that Olson will be back next season, but he’s committed to developing these young players, especially quarterback Derek Carr.
“We’ll just keep working every day and try to get better,” Olson said. “Again, it’s not my first year as a coordinator. It’s certainly not my best, obviously. But there will be better days ahead.”
