NFL
By: Greg Rector
Las Vegas Raiders fans are not a happy bunch with their team sitting with a 2-7 record. Perfectly understandable given the hope the Davante Adams acquisition brought to the Raiders fanbase. This was a team that made the playoffs (barely) in 2021 and many felt they would be improved for the 2022 season. What’s gone so wrong?
The Mayock/Gruden Regime
Mike Mayock was for years a beloved NFL analyst on TV. He was also well respected for his draft expertise by many. This is why he was hired by Mark Davis. Gruden was the beloved coach who was making a second run in charge of the Raiders. Raiders fans within the infamous “Black Hole,” absolutely loved the man nicknamed “Chucky.” The Raiders owner had tried to bring Gruden back for six years from his own TV analyst gig. Finally, in 2018 with a ten-year $100 million contract that included a “no trade,” clause (Raiders traded Gruden to Tampa Bay in 2002) they felt set to begin a new era of Raiders dominance with the team having been approved to move from Oakland to Las Vegas for the 2020 season. Here’s where things simply went oh so maddeningly wrong for the Raiders. The Raiders would fail miserably at the draft and have nothing to show for three draft classes. One example of their draft acumen going awry was trading up in the draft to take offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood with the 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft. No one I know had Leatherwood with a first-round grade and the Raiders went on to use Leatherwood in a position he was not suited for. It led to the young man being vilified and eventually waived after his first season. That in part led to Mayock being fired. Pile on time thanks to other’s players they drafted with off-the-field issues that are well-known.
Gruden Controversies
All of the controversies surrounding Gruden are now well-documented. From his lack of concern for player safety, violating the league’s Covid-19 policies, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and the list goes on and on all revealed thanks to the email leak. Of course, a team had to make changes at that point. In the second stint, Gruden was 22-31 as the Raiders’ head coach. Once he resigned the eventual contract settlement without terms being disclosed still had to be quite costly. Gruden succeeded in court this past May to have a lawsuit against the NFL and Roger Goodell proceed.
The Owner
“The Buck stops here,” applies fully to owner Mark Davis. His decisions to bring in Mayock and Gruden were in hindsight unmitigated disasters. Their draft misses alone ensured the cupboard was bare in terms of depth at pretty much every roster position. The next mistake in the eyes of many was not retaining Rich Bisaccia who was the interim head coach but prior to that was the special teams’ coach who the players absolutely loved because they played so hard to make the playoffs for Bisaccia. This has been an ongoing problem for the organization for as long as Mark Davis has been in charge. He decided to find a different head coach and settled on Josh McDaniels who has been so good as an offensive coordinator for New England but struggled mightily in his first head coaching job in Denver.
Josh McDaniels
Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble but the current mess is due to the previous regime and their malfeasance in running a team. McDaniels was hired and walked into a firestorm. There’s no way any head coach was going to succeed when faced with the holes on this roster. The team opted to not exercise the 5th year option for running back Josh Jacobs, they dealt other players for draft picks and those decisions left this roster with a few stars and then a bunch of guys who are serviceable players thrust into having to play at a level above their true talents.
Derek Carr Future
With so many issues all over the roster can Derek Carr be a Raider in the future? I don’t know at this point. Here’s where the new general manager Dave Zeigler and McDaniels are faced with a dilemma. Currently, the Las Vegas Raiders would have the second overall draft pick. At that spot in the draft, one of the two most highly-rated quarterbacks would be there for the taking. A formula for success in the league has been getting a “future franchise,” quarterback on his rookie deal, and using salary cap money to surround them with talent along with other draft picks. The Raiders could do that or decide on keeping Carr for now and trade away the top-five pick for more draft capital to fill their numerous holes on the roster. No matter their choice, one thing is clear, fixing this roster is not going to happen overnight.
Outlook
Until there is some real stability in Las Vegas the Raiders will continue to struggle. It’s that simple. Mcdaniels and Zeigler need to get given time to try and fix this situation. Let’s give them at least next season before talking about firing the coach. The owner has to stick to his guns and cave into outside pressure. The once proud “Silver and Black,” who were perennial challengers for AFC titles and Super Bowls have to change the entire culture from within first and foremost. The two quotes from Mark Davis” father the legendary mastermind Al Davis have to be restored. “Just win baby,” and the “Commitment to Excellence,” have to once again resonate through the entire organization.
As always find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
