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With the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Josh McDaniels is now 7-14 as the team’s head coach. Fans have not been quiet about their displeasure with McDaniels and now they’re taking the matter to owner Mark Davis himself.
During the Raiders’ October 1 loss to the Chargers, a fan repeatedly shouted “F*** McDaniels” in the direction of Davis, who was sitting nearby in his box seats. NSFW video of the shouting was posted on TikTok with the caption “IYKYK” (if you know, you know).
In the nine-second clip, Davis didn’t acknowledge the fan even though it would have been impossible not to hear him given they were 10 to 15 feet from each other. The fan seemed to represent a growing sentiment among the fan base that McDaniels isn’t the right coach to lead the team. Davis has been supportive of the coach since hiring him last year, but he’s typically acted like a fan-friendly owner.
After opening the season with a win over the Denver Broncos, the Raiders have lost three in a row and fans are now shouting obscenities at the owner as he tries to watch his team play.
Is Josh McDaniels on the Hot Seat?
The Raiders weren’t expected to be Super Bowl contenders this season, but the year is off to an ugly start, especially on offense. Despite the fact that Josh McDaniels has an extensive offensive background, the team has yet to score more than 18 points in a game. The 15.5 points a game the team is averaging is tied for the fourth worst in the NFL.
McDaniels appeared to be safe heading into this season, but the Raiders’ offensive struggles have to be concerning to Davis. The team has the fifth most expensive offense in the NFL, according to Spotrac, but hasn’t been able to score consistently all season. If McDaniels can’t at least get a talented offense to score points, it’s difficult to understand what he brings to the team as a head coach.The Raiders were in the playoffs less than two seasons ago, but they now look like one of the worst teams in the NFL and appear to have regressed in McDaniels’ second year.
Josh McDaniels Discusses Decision to Start Aidan O’Connell
The Raiders had a tough task against the Chargers as starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was out with a concussion. Instead of going with 15-year veteran Brian Hoyer, the team activated rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell for the start against the Chargers. O’Connell answered the call by going 24-of-39 for 238 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception.
Hoyer had been Garoppolo’s backup in the first three games of the season while O’Connell has been inactive. Josh McDaniels explained the thought process behind the decision to start the rookie.
“We were getting ready for any situation,” McDaniels said during his October 1 postgame media availability. “When we finish the preseason, if you go into a regular-season game and a rookie has no opportunity to practice at all, it’s a different conversation. To put him in there (as the backup in Week 1) and he has no repetitions during the week, it could be a little tough, which is why we went with Brian in that role.
“This was different,” McDaniels continued, “so (O’Connell) had an opportunity to take reps every day … and because of that, we just felt like we’d keep Brian in the role that he’s in and go ahead and give Aidan a shot.”
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