Running back Dylan Laube has used his work on special teams as a way to get and keep an NFL job.
Laube, a 2024 sixth-round pick out of New Hampshire, had only worked with one special teams coordinator until the Raiders fired Tom McMahon on Friday and promoted assistant Derius Swinton II on an interim basis.
“It’s tough,” Laube said. “If you ask anyone in this building, they loved Tom and we still do. It sucks, but it’s part of the business and (Swinton) and (assistant special teams coach Kade Rannings), who are now taking the reins, they’ve worked under Tom for such a long time. I think Tom showed them the ropes and they can add something new to it. Hopefully, it gets better from here.”
Plagued by inconsistency
The Raiders hope the midseason move can spark a group that has been far too inconsistent this year.
AJ Cole remains one of the best punters in the NFL, but protection issues resulted in his second blocked punt of the season Nov. 6 in a loss to theBroncos. The block led to Denver’s game-winning field goal.
Daniel Carlson, who has been one of the league’s most accurate kickers during his Raiders’ tenure, has missed three field goals from 50-plus yards this season and had a potential game-winning attempt get blocked in Week 4 against theBears.
The team’s coverage and return units have also disappointed at times.
“We’ve had great games and bad games and ultimately the inconsistency is what needs to be cut out,” linebacker and special teams ace Jon Rhattigan said. “These things are just the reality of the business. You have to take it and run with it. A lot of guys in this building have a ton of respect for Tom and what he’s done. He brought a passion for the game that as a player, you really admire in your coaches. The good thing about the current situation is that (Swinton) brings that as well.
“It’s kind of like you have to act like nothing happened, but it’s tough any time you lose a core piece of your unit, especially Tom being the leader of our group. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way the business goes. As players, we ultimately have no choice but to look forward and continue doing the best we can.”
‘We needed a change’
Coach Pete Carroll hopes firing McMahon sends the message that the standard needs to be higher on special teams.
He believes a new voice could steady the Raiders (2-7). Swinton brings plenty of experience. He’s worked in the NFL since 2009 and has spent almost his entire career coaching special teams. He was previously the special teams coordinator for the 49ers (2016) and Chargers (2021).
“I thought we needed a change,” Carroll said. “I love Tom. He’s a great dude and he’s done a great job for us. He’s a career ball coach, but I thought we just needed a change, and part of that is that I want to see what Derius does with it and see how he handles it. He’s been in this situation before and he’s very well-versed. But I think it was time for a change there, and that’s why we did that.”
Laube said the Raiders are doing a deep dive on the first half of the season, so they can reinforce the things they did well and correct the things they did not.
“The wheels have to keep rolling,” wide receiver and special teamer Alex Bachman said. “I’ve been around the league, so I’m used to a lot of change. You have to adjust on the fly. We will miss Tom and his energy and passion, but (Swinton) has been with us and he has a lot of experience as well. There’s only so much you can change because at the end of the day, you’re not going to install a whole new scheme midseason. You keep what the players know and add a few tweaks from your own methods and we’re going to trust the way he wants to roll and go with what he wants to do.”
The Raiders’ hope is several small tweaks can lead to huge improvement. That could be anything from practice dynamics to play calls to cadence to certain fundamentals and techniques in blocking and coverage.
“Ultimately, there’s not the chance to do a major overhaul at this point of the season,” Rhattigan said. “I think the focus will be on the small details. I think we’ll hone in on them and be able to play collectively as a unit. We’re going to try to stay consistent and play as best we can for these last eight games.”
‘Hands-on type of coach’
It’s a tall order, but Carroll believes Swinton is the best man for the job at this stage of the season.
“He’s a very good communicator, very active on the field. A hands-on type of coach who is really skilled in scheme,” Carroll said. “There’s not time to change a bunch of our scheme at this point, but it’s (our goal) to emphasize and focus on things that we think we need to do better. And so, I’m hoping that the voice change will help us in that regard.”
Several players pointed to Swinton’s experience, the passion he brings to the field and his work with the Raiders’ gunners on the punt team as reasons they believe in him.
“He’s going to try to get the best out of guys and not sugarcoat it,” Rhattigan said. “As a player, his strengths are his passion and a large part of his coaching is that he wants us to play fast and physical, which means he knows he also has to let us play free.”
That works for Laube, who needs to continue his ascent on special teams for his career to flourish. He trusts Swinton and Rannings to turn things around.
“I just think they’re going to do a hell of a job,” Laube said.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.