Straight from Bizarro World, AKA Oakland, we get our first glimpse of Bizarro Jordy Nelson.
#Raiders Jordy Nelson @JordyRNelson pic.twitter.com/wE9ycTHicD
— AFL Godfather 🏴☠️👓🏈🔥 (@NFLMAVERICK) April 9, 2018
While the Green Bay Packers begin their offseason program next week, the Oakland Raiders get to start their program this week. That’s because the Raiders have a new coach in Jon Gruden, AKA Chucky.
What do I expect from Gruden and the Raiders this season? Not much.
Gruden seems stuck in the early 2000s, which was actually the last time he was a good coach.
What do we expect of Bizarro Jordy Nelson? Well, Derek Carr is certainly an upgrade over Brett Hundley. Of course, who isn’t?
Like most people who pay attention to these things, I do think Nelson has lost a step. I also don’t think he’s as bad as the 400-odd receiving yards he had in 2017. To me, that was more of a product of Hundley sucking.
I could see Nelson putting up 800 yards and six to eight scores in 2018. And he had better produce somewhere near that level. The Raiders released Michael Crabtree to acquire Nelson. While Nelson is more accomplished, Crabtree is two years younger. Someone — likely Gruden — is going to look awfully stupid if Nelson’s decline is steep and Crabtree produces in Baltimore.