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Josh McDaniels‘ first season with the Las Vegas Raiders was disappointing. He took over as the head coach of a team that went 10-7 and made the playoffs the previous season, but under his leadership, the team fell to 6-11. Many fans called for the coach to get fired during and after the season, but owner Mark Davis is remaining patient.
Expectations aren’t high for the Raiders heading into 2023. On May 22, CBS Sports predicted the team to go 7-10 this season, which is a one-win improvement. Former New York Jets and Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini is one of the few Bill Belichick disciples to have some success as a head coach away from the New England Patriots, but even he only had two winning seasons out of five. Mangini coached with McDaniels in New England from 2001 to 2005. He gave his thoughts on what the coach needs to do to regain control of the situation in Las Vegas.
“Look, there’s often noise that comes out of organizations that make transitions, and when it doesn’t go as everybody hopes that first year, that noise tends to get a little bit louder and people are much less patient with head coaches than they ever have been so Josh needs to get some wins and get some wins early just to solidify that the approach he’s taking and the philosophy that he’s brought is the right approach and can help get where they need to be,” Mangini said on the July 5 episode of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.”
Josh McDaniels Ranked as 30th Head Coach in NFL
There were some reservations when the Raiders hired Josh McDaniels due to his 11-17 record as the Denver Broncos head coach from 2009 to 2010. The hope was that he improved as a leader in the following decade but last year’s results didn’t inspire confidence.
In a July 2 column, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports went through and ranked every coach in the NFL. McDaniels came in at 30.
“We know he can run a Patriots offense, which is probably why he basically remade the old Patriots in Las Vegas this offseason,” Benjamin wrote. “But adversity has tended to dent, not strengthen, his teams in two different gigs as a head man. And his handpicked new QB, respected but fragile old flame Jimmy Garoppolo, is an extended absence waiting to happen.”
Mark Davis Believes in Josh McDaniels
While fans are ready to show McDaniels the door, owner Mark Davis is the one who gets to make the call. Based on what he has said in the past, he doesn’t sound eager to fire the head coach. Following the Raiders’ 2-7 start to last season, Davis made sure to come out and express his confidence in the coach.
“As far as Josh goes, I have no issues,” Davis said in a November 14, 2022, interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I’m getting to know him a lot better. When you sign someone to a contract, don’t you expect him to fulfill the contract? I like Josh. I think he’s doing a fantastic job. You have to look at where we came from and where we’re going.
“We had a coach (Jon Gruden) with a 10-year contract and a 10-year plan, He had to leave the team last year. So we did an exhaustive search and found the person we believe is going to bring the Raiders to greatness in the future.”
Obviously, feelings could change for Davis, but he has yet to waver in his support of McDaniels.
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