The Las Vegas Raiders underwent massive changes after their Week 8 game against the Detroit Lions. After another subpar performance, Raiders owner Mark Davis fired former head coach Josh McDaniels and former general manager Dave Ziegler.
Letting go of McDaniels and Ziegler happened after the Raiders scored only six points on offense courtesy of a Josh Jacobs touchdown run. Their other touchdown was courtesy of a Marcus Peters interception return. Worst yet, All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams finished with one catch for 11 yards.
That defeat was McDaniels’ 16th out of 25 games with the Raiders. Hence, he was fired without finishing the season for a second time. The first instance occurred in 2010 when the Denver Broncos were at 3-9. After going 6-11 in 2022, McDaniels had the Raiders starting with a 3-5 slate.
Another casualty for the Bill Belichick coaching tree
The Raiders hired McDaniels before the 2022 NFL season. They ended their previous campaign under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia at 10-7, only to lose to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round. But McDaniels getting fired a second time further tarnishes the legacy of coaches who worked for Bill Belichick.
His deputies couldn’t replicate the success he enjoyed in New England. McDaniels, Joe Judge, Matt Patricia, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and Brian Daboll have losing records as head coaches. Bill O’Brien is their best bet with a 52-48 record, but is 2-4 in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Ziegler also worked for the Patriots from 2013 to 2021, eventually becoming Director of Player Personnel. However, Belichick still had the final say regarding contract negotiations as New England’s de facto general manager. Ziegler and McDaniels played football for John Carroll University.
Mark Davis met with Raiders players before firing Josh McDaniels
NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport shared that the Raiders’ principal owner met with respected veterans like Adams and Josh Jacobs, among others. They discussed their standing culture-wise, which is distant from what they can achieve.
After that meeting, Davis concluded that the team had regressed, leading him to boot McDaniels out of Las Vegas. Taking McDaniels’ position as an interim is Raiders linebackers coach Antonio Pierce. Ironically, Pierce was a part of the Super Bowl XLII team that ended the Patriots’ hope of a perfect season.
Coincidentally, he will have his first salvo as head coach in Week 9 as they host his former team, the New York Giants. Aside from McDaniels and Ziegler, the Raiders fired former offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi.
-Lance Fernandez