Jimmy Raye Approval Rating: Looking back at 2009

The thing that bugged me about Raye was the game didn’t seem to understand itself. The offense didn’t know what it was and there was just so many stupid calls. Also what bugged me is he was relentless in the worst way. He’d try the same screen ten times in one half just so once he can break it, get a first down, and then punt it. We don’t want ten drives of mediocrity just to pick up a first down.

The thing that made me sick was when a play worked, he would run two plays and then go back to the one that worked and change absolutely nothing, I remember my brother commenting during a game “I wonder if he actually has a playbook or if he’s up there with a coloring book?” I think he just called random crap and then when one of them worked he was like “Oh oh! Do that one again! :D:D:D:D”

It’s frustrating, is all, but I think he can do well with continuity. I’m willing to pass him for now.

Begining of the year he was a 5 but he gradually improved throwing in trick plays and such but still some questionable calls. My analysis is to keep him.

Maybe a 6 is a little high, but I wasn’t nearly as down on Raye as most people were. No, I do not think he was “good” by any stretch of the imagination. But he wasn’t terrible.

I think Raye was just trying way too hard to please everyone else this year…especially Singletary. Singletary said at the beginning of the year, and consistantly throughout most of it, that he wanted to be a smash-mouth, running team. So Raye called tons of running plays. And of course it didn’t work. You cannot run on every play and expect to fool anyone. And you can’t run on every play with that offensive line and expect to run over anyone. But its what Sing wanted, so Raye obliged.

Then the fans started calling for more passing plays, and to open up the book a little bit…and so he did. But he went too far in the other direction, and marginalized our best talent, Gore, in favor of a mediocre talent, in Smith. I think the AZ game was a game where I saw some glimmer of hope. The run and the pass seemed to be blended together nicely, and we looked good. The rest of the season was up and down, but we finished 8-8, and finished right around the middle of the pack in PPG. That’s not terrible.

Upgrade the offensive line, and maybe Raye will have the confidence to blend the run and the pass together again in games, and we’ll have an actual, balanced offense. I’m more than willing to give him another year with this offense to see what he can do.

He had to change the offense halfway through the season and then again near the end of the season.
The two starting OTs were injured, the No.1 WR missed 5 games, Frank Gore was out for a couple of weeks, and there was a QB change (along with an offensive philosophy change).

He didn’t have it easy.
But I’m still not pleased.

He adjusted the offense based on what we had. He had to deal with a QB change, different wide receivers, and no consistent offensive philosophy. He did get to the point where he was designing some really nice plays, but he didn’t run them often enough.

My biggest criticism is that he would go into the half up by only a few points and then shut down the offense and try and play ball control. You don’t do that until the 4th quarter, not the beginning of the 3rd.

I’d say it could have been worse (thank God for this defense.) I am in no way content with it, but 8-8 is likely what the average joe expected. It’s definitely better than a losing season, and we know the potential is there to get back to the playoffs next year. For that I gave him a 5. We shouldn’t let our idealistic minds get the better of us. I really don’t think we have much chance at getting anyone much better right now. And yes, there’s a good likelihood that after next season we’ll be looking for another OC, and it will be a barely different situation from the previous five OC’s that were here. But I’m about 60-40 that we won’t have to look far (Mike Johnson) to find the next one. There is very good reason to be optimistic! Anyone who insists on dwelling in gloom, do it somewhere where you can’t be seen or heard! :P

Raye 2009 Efficiency
-10.6% Off, -9.2% Pass, 1.3% Rush

Martz 2008 Efficiency
 -11.3% Off, -8.2% Pass, -2.8% Rush

Norv 2006 Efficiency
-7.5% Off, -5.3% Pass, 1.5% Rush

I gave Raye a positive score for a slight improvement combined with the personnel turnover. The 2nd season will be the one to ultimately judge Raye. Everyone assumes the offense will have more talent next year with the combination of experience, familiarity, maturity and at lease one better player (we assume player x will play offensive line).

I think anyone passing off a 1-2 rating needs to come to gripes that this isn’t a talented offensive unit no matter who is the OC. Norv Turner didn’t do too much better despite having half an offensive line and veteran #1 WR in Antonio Bryant. Statistics disagree with a harsh assessment of Jimmy Raye.

You guys have made every possible point and taking all of them in he deserves a 4. Hopefully this time next year that will be double(I doubt it), I’m optimistic about our offense next year and not expexting any dramatic changes. I just want to see that balance that we had against Arizona…And, if we get Spiller and our offense is stil at the bottom…I don’t even know…

Talk about a season of dysfunction. Yet another new OC for the entire offense (1). Shaun Hill as the starting option, whose passing plays MUST range from 1-15 yards(2). Then you have 1 good lineman(Heitman), 1 above average LT (supposed anchor), 2 Guards that struggled for 7 weeks, and no Right Tackle(3,4,5). Your Best WR is a rookie who held out for a few weeks (6). A quarterback change to an inaccurate QB that has had the worst assitance by the FO (7). Then adjust to the abysmal protection and run blocking, and on top of that you haven’t been an OC for at least 4 seasons (8). You have to fulfill the philosophy of the HC that wants to play field position football (9) and you have to manage to coordinate a successful offense at the highest level of football. Not to mention, adjust accordingly to the defenses you face that outmatch you in the trenches, while trying to implement a NEW offense (10).

Jimmy Raye’s offense in 2009-10 season was not ranked at the bottom of the league despite all of this dysfunction. you can’t run off tackle, your team can’t execute simple blocks and you get a QB hurry from a 3 man rush. Then you have to go to the Raye gun and take away from your best offensive weapon in Gore, but you did at least get GREAT production from a TE that was selected 6th overall and come close to matching Brent Jones (matched IMO) greatest season.
I did not always agree with what Raye would call or how simple his offense was. However, Crabtree had one of the most productive seasons yard wise, fo a WR in YEARS. At best (pre-Crabtree) he had to work with 3 #3 WR’s on the team. It was a process and a grueling one, enough to make a man quit. Raye held up, despite bad coaching (in spurts) by a rookie HC and all of the above mentioned problems. Our ofense should have been 31st (Chiefs suck) and was 29th, it is horrible but considering the dysfunction, I have to give Raye a 10 for not having a heart attack during the season.

i’ll give him a 5 considering all the personnel/game plan changes, the identity search on offense, and the lack of a real qb.

…because he showed an ability to adjust to the (relative) strengths of our personnel.