Getty Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
Josh McDaniels has been the subject of a lot of criticism since getting fired by the Las Vegas Raiders. However, players have avoided taking direct shots at the former coach.
Though the McDaniels era didn’t work out well for the team, fresh off of the Raiders’ 63-21 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15, wide receiver Tre Tucker made sure to give the coach credit for his role in developing the offense.
“It starts back with what (former head coach) Josh (McDaniels) was saying. He was a great coach. He pushed me really hard. He told me, ‘You were drafted high here for a reason. You came to play,’” Tucker said during his December 14 media availability, via The Athletic. “It was just understanding that my role is what I make it. … Each and every week, I’ve just gotten better.”
Tucker had a breakout game against the Chargers. He had career highs in catches (3), receiving yards (59) and touchdowns (2). It was the best game of his young career and it’s looking like the Raiders may have found a potential difference-maker in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Though they are no longer with the team, McDaniels and former general manager Dave Ziegler do deserve credit for adding Tucker.
Players Rallying Around Antonio Pierce
Week 15 against the Chargers was a huge statement game for the Raiders. There’s no guarantee that interim head coach Antonio Pierce will replace Josh McDaniels full-time after the season but putting up 63 points against a rival will only help.
Star defensive end Maxx Crosby gave some insight into Pierce’s coaching style.
“AP has been hellbent on just us improving every single day,” Crosby told the Thursday Night Football broadcast after the game. “Every time we go out there, we do it for each other, we do it for our brothers and he just says, go out there and be the hardest-working team.”
Crosby also stressed how much the team wants to see Pierce get the full-time head coaching job after the season.
“It is one of the best quotes that I have heard, it believe it was George Atkinson who said, ‘There are 31 teams and then there re the Raiders,’” Crosby said. “He embodies exactly what the Raiders represent and we all love him. You see us improving every single week. So, if you give him a chance and I feel like the sky’s the limit. So, we love AP and we just want to keep winning for him.”
Maxx Crosby leaves the field showing #RaiderNation crazy love coming off of the field after the Raiders set a new franchise-high of 63 points scored on Thursday Night Football.
🎥: By @Sean_Zittel, Vegas Sports Today
Jermaine Eluemunor Says Team Had Pent-up Aggression
The Raiders were coming off a historic 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14. It was the lowest-scoring game to take place in an indoor stadium ever. Starting right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor revealed that the Raiders were not happy and had a chip on their shoulder heading into the Chargers game.
“Last week sucked,” Eluemunor said in his December 14 postgame media availability, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Losing 3-0 was embarrassing. There was a lot of pent-up aggression, and everyone wanted to come out today and let it all out.”
63 points was the most points a Raiders team has ever scored in a single game so the offense definitely turned things around after the embarrassing performance against Minnesota.