Getty Josh McDaniels with Mark Davis.
The Las Vegas Raiders cannot be thrilled right now. Despite making the playoffs last season and going on a spending spree this offseason, the team is 0-2 to start the season. The Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was forgivable. They have one of the best rosters in the NFL and were playing at home.
Unfortunately, Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals is going to sting for a while. The Raiders had a 20-0 lead at halftime and still managed to lose 29-23. Head coach Josh McDaniels is the first coach in franchise history to blow a 20-point lead. That’s not a great way to start a tenure with the team. There have been many question marks surrounding McDaniels due to his failed stint with the Denver Broncos and lousy track record for former New England Patriots assistants who get head coaching jobs.
The coach’s start with the Raiders has gone about as poorly as it possibly could and opinions on him are quickly souring. Rob Parker of Deadspin ripped into McDaniels and suggested that there are coaches who wouldn’t have survived such a historic loss.
“Some coaches would be fired after such malpractice. Not McDaniels,” Parker wrote. “The Raiders still think he’s the smartest guy in the room. Sadly, McDaniels has lived off the plate of Bill Belichick. Somehow, dumb owners continue to give McDaniels credit for success in New England.”
Based on Parker’s article on McDaniels, it sounds like he doesn’t think the coach will pan out and it won’t take long for the Raiders to realize they’ve made a mistake.
Raiders fans can try to convince themselves things will get better, not worse.
But a good measuring stick is that the Kansas Chiefs dropped an easy 44 on the Cardinals. Yet, Arizona beat the Raiders at their own crib. Vegas, somehow, came into the game as the favorite. It might take a season or two before the Raiders realize they hired McFraud, not McDaniels.
Josh McDaniels shouldn’t be a head coach in the NFL — PERIOD t.co/wrH6thie7w
Pump the Brakes
There’s no doubt that McDaniels’ start with the Raiders has left a lot to be desired. However, it’s premature to suggest that his tenure will be a disaster. It’s just been two games in his first year with a new team. A lot of new coaches experience growing pains. Now, McDaniels’ leash will likely be shorter than if he had gone to a team that didn’t make the playoffs last year.
The Raiders hired him under the idea that he would be able to help the team retain their success from last season. It’s entirely possible that owner Mark Davis missed on McDaniels but he deserves more games before his job status is questioned.
McDaniels Takes Blame for Loss
McDaniels is the offensive playcaller for the Raiders and some of his decisions in the second half against the Cardinals were perplexing. Las Vegas should’ve won the game but could only muster three points in the second half and overtime. there’s plenty of blame to go around for the loss but McDaniels is taking accountability for what happened.
“I love our team. I have a lot of confidence in them,” McDaniels said after the loss. “I love their spirit, the way they work, how competitive they are, the way they practice. I have no doubts about the way our team will respond to this. They had a great week of practice and preparation. Like I said, it starts with me, I have to do a better job of helping us to finish these kinds of things out if you get ahead, and that’s what we’re going to work hard to do as we go forward.”