HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — As Chicago’s offensive coordinator the past two seasons, Luke Getsy oversaw a run-heavy offense led by athletic quarterback Justin Fields that was among the NFL’s best on the ground.
Raiders coach Antonio Pierce wants a physical offense that complements a hard-nosed defense, so it would seem Las Vegas would operate a version of the attack the Bears ran with Getsy in charge.
Except the Raiders don’t have a quarterback on the roster like Fields, who can go the distance by keeping the ball. That could change in Las Vegas depending on what happens this offseason, including in the NFL draft, where the Raiders pick 13th.
“Whatever it takes to win, whether that’s some weeks you have to run it more and some weeks you have throw it more,” Getsy said Friday in his first meeting with the media after being hired Feb. 6 as offensive coordinator. “I think it’s all about playing into the players that you have and trying to get them to do the things that they do really well. So whatever that looks like, we’ll find out here this fall, but we’ll take this offseason to go ahead and figure out exactly what that is.”
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Getsy’s goal will be to improve a Raiders offense that was 23rd in the league in scoring at 19.5 points per game.
Aidan O’Connell is the incumbent starting quarterback, but he has said he expects a fight to keep the spot. He went 5-4 after Pierce promoted him last season.
The player he replaced, Jimmy Garoppolo, was suspended Friday for the first two games of next season for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy established by the league and NFL Players Association. Garoppolo was considered a long shot even before that announcement to remain on the roster by the time the 2024 season kicks off.
It’s likely the Raiders will search for a new starter this offseason, especially given how deep the draft is at quarterback. Las Vegas also could look to make a deal for a veteran such as Denver’s Russell Wilson.
“I think in this game it’s really important that you have some type of escape ability,” Getsy said of the quarterback position. “It doesn’t mean you have to be as dynamic as Justin was, but I think you have to have escape ability. You’ve got to be able to have the second chance and create the extended play, whether it’s just sliding in the pocket or whether it’s extending it with your feet outside of the pocket.”
That doesn’t mean the Raiders will try to work a deal with the Bears, who own the first and ninth picks of the draft, to bring in Fields. It’s, in fact, doubtful given that Getsy was fired along with four other offensive assistants because of their inability to get more consistency out of Fields, who averaged 5.3 yards per rush but had a quarterback rating of just 86.3.
Even though the Bears were second in the NFL with 141.1 yards rushing per game, Chicago was tied for 18th in scoring with a 21.2-point average.
“The growth and the development of the offense needed to be better than what it was,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said upon letting Getsy go. “You look at the passing game, certainly that’s one aspect of it and that’s where it is. We decided to move on from that.”
Which put Getsy on the market, and the Raiders had an opening for an offensive coordinator after opting not to retain Bo Hardegree.
Getsy, 40, said Las Vegas immediately appealed to him because he grew up in Pittsburgh and remembered when the Steelers and Raiders had a more heated rivalry. He also said he was impressed upon meeting Pierce and others at Raiders headquarters.
“Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve really tried to connect to everybody in the building, not just stick in that football side,” Getsy said. “I love the flow of this new building and how you’re able to do that. You’re able to be a part of all the things because we’re in this together. … It was obvious as soon as I walked in the building how important this family atmosphere is, and so I was really drawn to it.”
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