Credit: Raiders.com
Las Vegas, Nevada---The Las Vegas Raiders have hired what they hope to be the head coach of the future in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The organization is looking for stability in McDaniels as he will be their 6th coach in 9 years. McDaniels, a young 45 years of age has been with the organization for all but of 3 years since 2001. He comes off of working with rookie quarterback Mac Jones, developing the young gun to a playoff caliber quarterback. This Patriot offense was 7th in the league in both points scored and converting in the redzone, two things the Raiders need to dramatcially improve. McDaniels in his first press conference praised quarterback Derek Carr suggesting that he will stay with the 30 year old veteran quarterback who is entering his year of his contract with the Raiders.
Carr and his new head coach which will be 6th entering his ninth year should be a schematic fit. Both love the short passing game, relying heavily on tight ends and slot recievers. The biggest fix in the offsense must come in translating trips to the redzone into 7 points. Having a bottom 5 redozne offense is not a recipe for sucess and is the reason as to why the Raiders have a below average offense. The defense also is something that could be improved as it is torched both on the ground and in the air when playing high powered offenses such as the Cheifs, Chargers and Cowboys. The AFC West has two top tier quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Justin Hebrert it will be imperative that the defense be able to stand its ground and make big stops.
McDaniels has had previous head coaching expierence. Hired by the Denver Broncos in 2009 accumulating a 11-17 record. He also controversially drafted quarterback Tim Tebow in the first round. In his first year as head coach, he got off to a hot start going 6-0 before falling apart and ending 8-8. He was fired mid season in 2010 with a 3-9 record. The reason for his firing besides the pile up of losses was his involvement in covering up a member of the Broncos video operations filming a San Francisco 49er walkthrough ahead of their London game in week 8 of that season. After his firing McDaniels then became the then St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator in 2011 where they had the worst offense in the league only average 12 points a game and going 2-14. McDaniels then returned to New England where he went back to his previous position as the quarterback coach and offensive coordinator. In his time at New England he has been apart of 3 Super Bowls victories with the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady. His deep relationship with Brady and offensive creativity was responsible for the 2019 super bowl run in which they were counted out. McDaniels brought in a lot more short passes to the running backs recievers which was complimented by a good running game. He also coached Cam Newton in 7-9 non playoff trip season. Then after the drafting of Mac Jones, he was repsonsible for a complimentary Patriot offense to their outstanding defense in the 2021 season going 10-7.
McDaniels made headlines when in 2018 he announced that he would be the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. However shortly after agreeing to take the position, he reversed that and decided to stay with the Patriots. This change of heart came after a meeting with head coach Bill Belichek and owner Robert Kraft. Many suspected that the reason as to why McDaniels stayed was that he was promised to be the next head coach of the New England. If those rumors were, McDaniels has had a change of heart in taking the Vegas job.
While the Raiders went 10-7 and made the playoffs despite the team ranking in the bottom half of the league in both offense and defense. This came in the midst of the resignation of Jon Gruden after 5 games due to scandal. The team also lost top reciever Henry Ruggs to a fatal car accident where while drunk, he hit another car and killed the driver and her dog. Through all of the turmoil the team came together under interim Rich Bissacia going 7-5, winning all 4 of their last games to make it into the playoffs where they lost to the Bengals. After the season, owner Mark Davis fired GM Mike Mayock and decided not to retain the playor favorite Bissacia.
Instead, the Raiders are doubling down in hiring Dave Ziegler, who was the Patriots director of personal pairing him with McDaniels. The Raiders are taking a gamble on hiring two former members of the most domiant football organization of not only the 21st century but all of history but whose assistants and front office personal have failed elsehwere. Mark Davis in going with McDaniels instead of other options is taking a gamble, one that will either be a bust in which the franchise is accustomed to or be a jackpot hire.