There is a viral video of a Raiders fan is making the rounds of the internet, as this man confronts owner Mark Davis after the Las Vegas Aces won the WNBA championship for the second straight season. The fan wanted Davis to fire head coach Josh McDaniels. Davis became agitated with the fan, knowing that he made a mistake in the heat of the moment. Actually, no, he didn't learn his lesson. Several weeks ago, he was in his suite, arguing with his own fans by telling them to "smarten up." Not the way you show the fans your appreciation for lining the pockets of you. However, on the wee hours of Halloween night, the man with the Lloyd Christmas haircut decided to have a change of heart.
(Side note: I wonder if he doesn't wear a costume and tells everyone that he is Jim Carrey from Dumb and Dumber every Halloween.)
Mark Davis fired head coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager David Zeigler last Tuesday while, according to a report, they took their kids trick or treating. Seems a bit harsh since he could have waited till today to do it. Why is McDaniels' tenure in Las Vegas such a downer? It's simple......HE SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN HIRED TO BEGIN WITH! The Raiders had a guy that players wanted to be the permanent man. Rod Bisaccia righted the ship in 2021 after Jon Gruden abruptly resigned and Henry Ruggs' arrest. Las Vegas made the playoffs and played a close game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card game, only to fall short. The Raiders had momentum going into 2022 and it was going to be smooth with Rod Bisaccia as the hopeful to be back as head coach. Nope. Davis decided to get cute and hired McDaniels for a bountiful future of Silver and Black dominance.
In a nutshell, Mark Davis wants to make a mark just like his late father, Al. The elder Davis wanted to be a renegade and do things his way. It worked when he had John Madden and Tom Flores as coach and it won the Raiders the Super Bowl. He also snagged a rising prospect in Jon Gruden, which led to a short revival for the franchise. Mark wanted to recapture that by getting Gruden back to a 10-year $100 million contract and a stake in ownership. Even after his resignation due to damaging e-mails, Jon and then-GM Mike Mayock set the franchise back for years due to the worst drafts in recent memory and a trade for Antonio Brown, who didn't even last before the season started. This should have been a big red flag for Davis when it come time to hire their next head coach.
A while back, I posted a conversation with an associate of ours, Joey Nevada and he asked about what is causing all of the problems with the Raiders. I quickly cut him off and said, "Josh McDaniels." I'm pretty sure Mark Davis has excess to the news regarding the NFL and read that McDaniels spurned the Indianapolis Colts at the last minute, which prompted the organization to cancel a news conference scheduled to announce him as head coach. This was the guy Davis wanted to lead Las Vegas for future playoff runs. Without any surprise, the Raiders have gone backwards since McDaniels took the helm last season. Also, can the NFL stop with the hiring of New England Patriots assistants as head coaches? This happened with him as the Broncos' head man. He caused players according to wide receiver Hunter Renfrow "walk on egg shells" and have your top franchise cornerstones as Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby be visibly frustrated by the surroundings in the locker room. You knew that McDaniels was the epicenter of the friction in there.
I really don't think it's all David Zeigler or offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi's fault for the downfall. (Side note: Lombardi was fired the next day.) Ziegler executed the trade to get Adams from Green Bay. They were pairing him with his college teammate, quarterback Derek Carr. I know don't if it was McDaniels, Ziegler or Lombardi's decision to sack Carr without trading him. The Raiders straight up cut him and caused his wife to cry after the move. They also thought that the chandelier of Jimmy Garoppolo would be the answer. Spoiler alert: he wasn't. I won't get into the Chandler Jones signing because of the aftermath and his delicate situation. Is it Lombardi or McDaniels' issue that Adams or Hunter Renfrow, who was one of the best possession receivers in the league, are frequently absent in the offense. It could be since they led the offensive side of the ball. The trade of tight end Darren Waller shocked everyone, and he was a key member of the Raiders' passing game. Also, his wife, Kelsey Plum, plays for the Aces and they traded him thousands of miles away to New York. Seems harsh, right? This total dismantling on that side of the ball has been critical to the drastic fall of the team.
Well, the Las Vegas Raiders and Mark Davis have to go back to square one as another head coach and general manager has been relieved and another search to fill both positions is on. Let's hope that Mark doesn't choose style over substance. He's not going to learn his lesson.
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