The Las Vegas Raiders have improved defensively, and they've generated nine turnovers so far.
The Las Vegas Raiders are currently leading the NFL in turnovers, and the way they’re doing it is based on the approach of new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard. Sam Warren of The Athletic described it as “style of play over everything,” although the way the players and Leonard put often adds a variety of expletives to the description.
According to defensive tackle Thomas Booker, the four qualities are fast, physical, violent and “about the ball.” It’s also about violence over scheme when it comes to getting results, as Booker noted that playing violent, physical football can often overcome tactical errors.
Last week’s 35-27 win over the New Orleans Saints was a good example of how it works. The Raiders defense gave up yardage, but they kept getting the ball back for the offense.
They finished the game with four consecutive turnovers, as the Saints basically imploded to had the Raiders the game. But that’s also part of Leonard’s formula, and one of the fastest ways to win games against subpar competition is to let opponents beat themselves.
The implosion helped give the Raiders the NFL lead in turnovers with nine, which is over halfway to last season’s total of 16, per Warren.
According to Leonard, this is all about mindset and attitude shifts. He wants his defenders to focus on the ball first -- he calls it ball disruption -- and he hammers this home in every single practice.
His tactics also include something he calls “eat” drills, where each position is focused on forcing, creating and finishing turnovers. It’s different for each position group, e.g., open field tackling for the secondary, punching the ball out for linebackers, and so on.
This does create the possibility of poor tackling fundamentals in certain situations, along with other analogous risks, but Leonard doesn’t seem to care all that much. He was somewhat okay with giving up 381 yards against New Orleans because ultimately the mindset helped create the opportunity for the win.
The one variable in all this that hasn’t been accounted for yet is the talent factor. The Raiders have added some effective players, but they’re doing a complete roster rebuild that’s not going to happen overnight. That means they can beat teams like the Saints, but a team like the Kansas City Chiefs may be a different matter entirely. If the Raiders can play a competitive game at home and force a turnover or two, though, that will be a good sign going forward.
