Chip Kelly echoes famous philosophy when discussing offensive identity

For a number of years now, the Las Vegas Raiders have been undone by what can only be described as a messy offensive process.

The Raiders have had a fair share of intriguing pieces on offense (Josh Jacobs, Davante Adams, etc.), but the team has never found a way to get everything to mesh together. Even this past season, the Raiders enjoyed a record-shattering rookie season from tight end Brock Bowers, only for it to be nullified by mediocre quarterback play and the worst running game in the NFL. If the team wants to get over the hump and re-establish themselves among the NFL’s elite teams, it starts with getting every piece on offense going simultaneously.

New offensive coordinator Chip Kelly knows the score, and his goal is to get the Raiders back to their winning ways.

Kelly has bought in to the core philosophy that the Raiders have historically followed.

When discussing the identity he intends to bring to the Raiders offense, Kelly echoed some familiar words that he is pushing on to the players.

“JWB. Just Win Baby. There was a legendary person in this organization, and it’s the truth. There are games you’re going to win 9-6, and there are games you’re going to have to win 38-37 and do enough on each side of the ball in phases to contribute to winning. Because winning in this league is hard. The last team that went undefeated in this league was the ’72 [Miami] Dolphins. So, it’s been a long, long time,” Kelly said during his media availability after OTAs.

While the legendary words of late former owner Al Davis remain a core tenet of the Raiders to this day, they admittedly ring hollow when the winning culture has been absent from the team for far too long.

Therein lies the challenge that Kelly faces, along with head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek. When they took the jobs, they knew that their primary collective task was to turn one of the NFL’s most historical franchises from a sleeping giant to a powerhouse. Kelly, in particular, earned a contract that makes him the highest-paid offensive coordinator, exemplifying the confidence the new regime has in him to get the Raiders back to ‘just winning.’

With Kelly bringing a new identity to a Raiders offense and several new pieces brought in to help out, the team should be able to produce much more respectable numbers.