"Fire this guy": Chip Kelly flamed by fans for Ashton Jeanty "load management" comments after Raiders RB's low usage

The start of the season has not been great for Ashton Jeanty. Despite the 1-1 record for the Las Vegas Raiders, the running back is not having an easy life. He averages just 2.7 yards per carry and has 81 yards in his first two games.

The Raiders have been awry with his usage. Jeanty was a top 10 pick, and he was expected to carry the offense right from the start. However, his usage has been much lower than what analysts predicted, and his impact has been minimal.

Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was asked on Thursday about the reasons for his low usage of Jeanty. He explained that his view is in the long term:

"You would love for Ashton Jeanty to play every play... You have to be conscious of, over the course of 17 games, if somebody is carrying the ball 30 times a game, they only have so many carries in a season. If you're using them early, it'll hurt you late."

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However, Raiders fans were unhappy to hear Kelly discussing the need to keep the player fresh for the late parts of the season. Since Las Vegas has not made the playoffs in the past three years, they don't want to see him in meaningless games

"Fire this guy", one fan said bluntly.

"What a f***ng loser", a second fan criticized.

"'When we've settled in to 1-10, and the season is wellllll out of reach, then, and only then, we will ride him'”, a third fan wrote ironically.

Ashton Jeanty's protection has not helped the Raiders running back

One of the most impressive stats for Week 1 of the NFL season stated that the rookie amassed 38 yards against the New England Patriots.

This wouldn't be impressive in most contexts. However, he had 44 rushing yards after contact. The Patriots were able to get into the backfield easily and hit him before he even crossed the line of scrimmage.

He also had 40 rushing yards after contact in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers, a game where he finished with 43 rushing yards. The stats show that the offensive line is not doing a great job opening lanes for him.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

Know More

Raiders Nation! Check out the latest Las Vegas Raiders Schedule and dive into the Raiders Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Henrique Bulio