Del Rio: Lackluster Raiders run defense ‘bothers me'

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OAKLAND – The Raiders are having trouble stopping the run.

Yes it’s the preseason. Yes, play calls predictably vanilla.

Head coach Jack Del Rio doesn’t care. He wants to see better execution in that area, especially after giving up 132 yards and two touchdowns to Tennessee in a 27-14 exhibition loss to the Titans at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum on Saturday.

The Raiders continued struggling against frontline backs, as Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray combined for 89 yards and a pair of scores on 20 carries, damage done against their first-team defense.

The Raiders want to defend the run well. They haven’t done that yet.

“I take it real personal,” Del Rio said. “I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t have a good alibi. It bothers me. You can’t be a great defense doing that. We have the intentions, and we’ve set our intentions. We’re not backing down from that, but it’s got to be a whole hell of a lot better that what we saw out there tonight.”

Del Rio has a thing about good run defense. He was a tough, physical middle linebacker in his playing days, someone adept at stopping the run. As a coach, his defenses rest on that.

In the opening exhibition, Del Rio thought his team should’ve tackled better. This time, he thought it was something else. Run defense is a team effort, and the Raiders' front didn't fit together quite right and got exploited as a result

“I thought tonight it was more misfitting,” Del Rio said. “Where someone missed a line or (made a) mental error, some of the things where your eyes aren’t right or you’re not where you’re supposed to be and the whole defense is counting on you. Those things really cause problems, and we have to get them cleaned up.”

Del Rio isn’t the only one trouble by this running-stopping trend.

“It definitely bothers you, especially as a leader on this defense,” edge rusher Khalil Mack said. “It’s something you don’t want to see but, at the same time, it’s a learning experience at this stage and it’s going to get us ready for the regular season.”

That’s something Del Rio will focus on during the two weeks remaining until the Sept. 11 opener at New Orleans.

“I want to stop the run,” Del Rio said. “We really haven’t stopped the run the way we expect to this year. Misfits continue to cause problems, and we have to get that cleaned up with the season approaching. Obviously that’s a critical area that must be addressed and will continue to be addressed.”

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