The Las Vegas Raiders have had a very hard time getting things right. Under the ownership of Mark Davis, the team has cycled through many head coaches and hasn’t won a playoff game.
This offseason, he decided to let general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady take charge in finding the new head coach this offseason. That’s how they landed on Klint Kubiak to lead the team going forward.
What also helps Davis and the Raiders is that they had the No. 1 pick and drafted Fernando Mendoza. He’s the future at quarterback for the franchise, but they don’t seem ready to play him quite yet.
That’s why Kirk Cousins was signed in free agency. He’s not the same player he used to be, but he’s still a solid veteran. Davis has seen a lot of quarterbacks come through the building, but he likes what he’s seeing from Cousins so far.
“But all I see is him finding open guys and getting the ball to them,” Davis told Raiders.com. “Kirk Cousins is looking really good. He’s a pro quarterback.
“It’s the Tom Brady effect.”
The Raiders are also still high on Aidan O’Connell. Davis thinks all three of the quarterbacks can play.
“We’ve got three legit quarterbacks on the roster,” Davis said.
Cousins & Maxx Crosby Held Out of Practice
Cousins has been taking all of the first-team reps so far, but that changed recently when he had to be held out of practice. He got into a fight with defensive end Maxx Crosby, which led to Kubiak suspending both Cousins and Crosby for one practice.
“We have very clear expectations on how we want to practice and how we want to go about our business, and we violated that yesterday, so (we) held those guys out,” Kubiak said. “That’s all I’m gonna say about it.”
Cousins and Crosby are both likely to be team captains, so them getting held out of practice certainly sends a message. Kubiak is willing to make an example of his star players, which is not something a lot of coaches do.
Davis Feels Good About This Season
The Raiders have been one of the weakest franchises in the NFL for over two decades, and Davis is a big reason for that. He has consistently hired the wrong coaches and general managers.
This time around, Davis thinks he may have finally gotten it right.
“This is my 15th year in charge and we haven’t gotten it right yet,” Davis said.
“But this year feels good. Like I said, football is cyclical. In 15 years, we might have gotten it right. And I say ‘we,’ not ‘me.’ Because it’s a team effort. It’s about the ‘we.'”
It’s still going to be hard to fully buy into the Raiders until they prove they can perform on the field. The early signs are very good, but Kubiak hasn’t been a head coach before. If Kubiak and Mendoza end up being the real deal, the Raiders could be good for a long time.
Raiders Owner Mark Davis Has Strong Words for Kirk Cousins