Le Journal

A report from Jordan Schultz on Wednesday indicated that the Las Vegas Raiders are looking for an “offensive minded” coach to pair with likely first overall selection Fernando Mendoza. Additionally, Schultz went on to mention the top three candidates seem to be Klint Kubiak, Davis Webb, and Jesse Minter. While Minter is a defensive minded coach, he can likely bring in a strong offensive minded coach from his connections with former Ravens and Michigan staffers. Additionally, the consensus around the NFL right now is the Raiders are more than willing to wait till after this weekend’s conference championships and if needed, the Super Bowl to hire a head coach. One name not mentioned by Schultz, but has risen in recent days is Rams OC Mike LaFleur. Lets take a look at the Raiders three reported finalists, their potential coaching staffs, and much more: Experience The 38 year old LaFleur has been all around the NFL and worked under Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and is the younger brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. The former Elmhurst QB got his start with his alma mater as a grad assistant in 2009 before continuing to work his way through the college ranks as a QB coach and offensive coordinator from 2010-2013 at St. Joseph’s and Davidson. His jump to the NFL came in 2014 as an intern with the Browns before moving to an assistant role with the Falcons in 2015-2016. His first real role came with the 49ers in 2017-2018 as the teams pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach before transitioning to solely a pass game coordinator in 2019-2020. In 2021, LaFleur was hired by now Titans HC, and then Jets, Robert Saleh as the offensive coordinator till 2022. In 2023, following his firing by the Jets, LaFleur became the Rams OC. Sean McVay said it was OC Mike LaFleur who relayed the play calls to Matthew Stafford on Sunday. McVay missed the team's walk-through on Saturday with an illness."He did a phenomenal job and made some great decisions," McVay said.— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) December 8, 2025 San Francisco 49ers (2017-2018) In his first season with the 49ers, the team saw their RPO usage shoot up 2%, a high mark for that period in the NFL and the team saw an increase of 21% of their 12+ yard pass attempts. Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin posted 56 receptions, 962 yards, and 2 TD and Pierre Garcon logged 40 receptions, 500 yards, and 0 touchdowns. In 2018, the 49ers continued to struggle going 4-12 but their offensive passing game did see more increases in RPO usage though under Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard they struggled to push the ball downfield but pre snap motion rose 8%. Despite the struggles rookie receiver Kendrick Bourne posted 42 receptions, 487 yards, and 4 touchdowns with fellow receiver Dante Pettis posting 27 receptions, 467 yards, and 5 TD. San Francisco 49ers (2019-2020) In his first season solely as pass game coordinator, Jimmy Garoppolo tossed 3978 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while finishing 8th in big time throw rate. Additionally, the 49ers saw their rate of play action increase 4% from 2018 along with more continued RPO rate to 17% which led the NFL. Additionally, the 49ers led the NFL in yards after catch, largely in principle to new passing concepts that allowed the receiver to get into space and set up blockers naturally downfield. The 49ers earned the nickname “rac bros”. In 2020, the 49ers pre snap motion rate grew again as did their RPO usage and the team went 6-10 largely in part to a lack of quarterback play due to injuries from Jimmy Garoppolo and the offense being lead by Nick Mullens. San Francisco continued to see success on offense in RAC, 8-14 yard attempts, pre snap motion, and RPO usage that would translate to pivoting the offense going forward in 2021 and beyond. 20 yd completion to Puka. Insane difficulty on this throw. Did it all season. Routinely. Nobody throwing the ball better than Stafford. Nobody. pic.twitter.com/2rgdhPSXCZ— Louis Riddick…

Shed a tear, with the Conference Championships this Sunday, we only have three football games left and two weekends of the NFL playoffs before we embark on the long offseason. Granted, that is when the news surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders gets interesting, but we also only have a handful of opportunities to close out this year’s Silver and Black Pride Pick’em competition. Odds below are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Conference Championship Picks New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos Spread: NE -5.5 O/U: 42.5 NE ML: -245 DEN ML: +200 Holder’s picks: DEN +5.5, DEN ML, Over 42.5 Call me crazy, but if any team can overcome losing their starting quarterback in the playoffs, it’s the Broncos. Denver has an elite defense, a good offensive line and a good coach/offensive play caller in Sean Payton. Plus, it’s not as if Bo Nix was lighting it up all season, as many felt he could be the Broncos’ Achilles’ heel in the postseason. I hate to say it, but Denver is built to withstand this type of adversity, so I’ll take the Ponies as home dogs. Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks Spread: SEA -2.5 O/U: 46.5 SEA ML: -154 LAR ML: +130 Holder’s picks: LAR +2.5, LAR ML, Under 46.5 The dog in me is coming out this weekend, going with both underdogs in the Conference Championships. Apologies for the bad dad joke, but the Rams are the best team left in the playoffs, in my opinion. This game would be in Southern California if it weren’t for a fluke two-point conversion in Week 16, as Los Angeles won the first matchup and held a late two-possession lead in the second. While Sam Darnold turned it on in the fourth quarter of game two between these clubs, Darnold has struggled in seven out of nine quarters (including overtime) against this Rams’ defense and pass-rush. Pick’em Competition Moving on to S&BP’s Pick’em competition, below is a look at how our writers finished in the Divisional Round. Matt Holder 188-93-1 (67%) Bill Williamson 182-97-1 (65%) Ray Apsuria 175-106-1 (62%) The writer’s standings are locked into place, as I went 3-1 last weekend to hold a five-game lead and take home the crown. Also, Bill is eight games ahead of Ray, so there’s no drama at all among the writers while we finish up the playoffs. Congrats to me! I’ll be partying like Fernando Mendoza after the National Championship this weekend. Community Standings 1. JeepRaider 189-92 2. Freddy B Good 187-94 t-3. Vila41 185-96 t-3. Dafe2cat 185-96 t-3. Tennessee Raider Fan 185-96 t-3. Alaskan Raida 185-96 t-3. ColoRaider 185-96 t-8. Pick’em Pro 184-97 t-8. Bower rangers 184-97 10. NC Hell Razors 183-98 Divisional Top Pickers Soul patrol 32 4-0 Pick’em Pro 4-0 Professor 4-0 RaiderRich25 4-0 Busby79 4-0 Vila41 4-0 The community crushed it last weekend as we not only had six people with perfect picks, but we also had 22 go 3-1! However, it’s officially just a three-person race for the overall championship between JeepRaider, Freddy B Good and me. Everyone else is at least four games behind with only three to play. Also, Jeep can clinch at least a share of the title by getting both games right on Sunday, which would also eliminate Freddy. Best of luck with your picks, and let’s enjoy some playoff football!

The Las Vegas Raiders have the number one pick in the draft, and everyone is expecting that to be Fernando Mendoza. However, there are other positions of need for the Raiders, and one of them is the offensive line. Throughout the season, the Offensive line has been a topic of discussion with viral videos displaying their mistakes. It is vital for them to upgrade, and while it will start in free agency, the draft will help build it up for the future. One of the first destinations for the draft is the Senior Bowl. It is the place where team’s and get their first look at prospects during live practices and conduct interviews with players. There is plenty of offensive line talent available that could help elevate the Raiders’ offensive line immediately. Emmanuel Pregnon OG, Oregon One of the highest graded guards participating at the Senior Bowl is Oregon interior offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon. Pregnon transferred from USC and had his best year in college. He allowed five pressures all season and no sacks in 15 games for the Oregon Ducks. At 6’5 and 318 pounds, he is scheme diverse, excelling in zone and gap schemes. He could be a day 2 option for the Raiders. Keylan Rutledge, OG, Georgia Tech Another standout player is Keylan Rutledge from Georgia Tech. Rutledge is a big body at the guard position at 330 pounds with great athleticism for the position. Running mostly a power scheme in Georgia Tech’s offense, Rutledge is great when being pulled and smashing linebackers, and he helped Georgia Tech have one of the best run games in the country. At the Senior Bowl, scouts will have a chance to see more traditional pass blocking reps that were not seen on film during his time with the Yellow Jackets. If he excels, he could shoot up boards with his skills as a run blocker. Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State The tackles for the Raiders this season gave up 21 sacks, and Max Iheanachor from Arizona State could be a player who adds competition. Iheanachor is huge at 6’6 and 330 pounds, but is light on his feet as a right tackle. One of his best games of the year was against the expected first-round pass rusher, David Bailey from Texas Tech. Iheanachor had a first-round buzz heading into 2025, but did struggle at times during the season, allowing 14 pressures. If he has a good week of practice, he could be a player the Raiders’ scouts look at to help upgrade the tackle position.

Detroit Lions offensive tackle Dan Skipper announced on Thursday his retirement from the NFL. In a post on Instagram, Skipper called it a career after playing the game he’s loved for two dozen years. Here’s his message: 24 years of putting on pads and a helmet every fall. This year I’ll trade that out to pursue a career on the other side in coaching. The memories and experiences that the NFL has brought me and my family are hard to put into words. Thankful for every person that has been apart of my journey. It’s time for me to “report” as retired. (Sorry I had to do it one last time!) Skipper has become a bit of a cult-favorite among Lions fans. He’s been on and off the Lions’ roster since entering the league in 2017. And while he’s never been a full-time starter for the team, he’s often been the first offensive tackle off the bench, and in recent years, he’s found a role as a jumbo-package tight end. He started 16 games across 69 total game appearances. Of course, he’ll forever be most known for the controversial ending to the Lions vs. Cowboys game in 2023. The Lions ran a trick play on a potential game-winning two-point conversion—a pass to left tackle Taylor Decker. However, officials negated the successful play, thinking that Dan Skipper had reported as eligible on the play, when it was clear it was actually Decker. Detroit was penalized and ultimately lost the game. After the end of the 2025 season, Skipper noted that he was considering retirement due to a lingering back injury. “This might be the last one.”An emotional Dan Skipper postgame. Said he’ll have imaging results coming back Tuesday on a lower back injury that almost shut him down earlier in the szn. Hell of a career for a UDFA that bounced around before finding a home in DET. pic.twitter.com/i9oRXdCgk6— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) January 5, 2026 But maybe this isn’t the end for Dan Skipper and the Lions. As he said at the top of his retirement statement, it appears he’ll pursue a football career in coaching. At this point, it isn’t clear what rank of football he’s considering, but it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if he wanted to stay in Detroit. It appears Skipper already has his first assignment in coaching: As he suspected with some emotional postgame comments following the season finale, Dan Skipper's injuries are pushing him into retirement. He's planning to quickly transition into coaching and will work with the OL and TEs at the upcoming East/West Shrine game.— Justin Rogers | Detroit Football Network (@Justin_Rogers) January 22, 2026

Last week, we debuted a new weekly offseason feature for Pride of Detroit: Office Hours! Each week, for a couple of hours, our Pride of Detroit staff will hang out in the comment section and answer as many questions as we can. If you’re wondering what that looks like, you can go back to last week’s first edition of our Office Hours and see how it works. In short, the concept is very simple. From about 2 p.m. ET to 4 p.m. ET, members of our staff will be in the comment section answering all of your questions. You can submit questions beforehand or while the conversation is happening within those two hours. If you can’t make it during that time, you can always try to submit your question after office hours, and we may go back to get to it. The great thing about these Office Hours is that with SB Nation’s new notification system, you’ll immediately know when someone has replied to your question! This week, the topic of new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing figures to be a big area of discussion. Erik Schlitt and I already answered a bunch of those questions with our Midweek Mailbag podcast, but we’re more than happy to answer more—or talk about anything else Lions related. Hell, I answered a few questions about disc golf last week, so no topic within reason is off-limits. You can go ahead and start filling the comment section with questions, and we’ll see you at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 22.