The Las Vegas Raiders have a head coach and it’s not Rich Bisaccia, who took over the job after Jon Gruden resigned and led the team to the playoffs. On Sunday, it was reported NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that Josh McDaniels has finalized a deal to become the team’s head coach. The longtime New England Patriots coach wasn’t a popular choice by fans to take over the job so it’s easy to assume that some players may not be thrilled that he’s taking over for Bisaccia, who was universally loved by the players.
After the news came out about McDaniels, many Raiders players came out and sent messages of love to the coach, including star defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Can’t Tell You How Much This Man Has Impacted Not Only Myself But Everyone In This Building… I Love You Like A Brother Coach Rich🦅🖤
Quarterback Derek Carr chimed in and told the coach “thank you.”
Safety Roderic Teamer shared how Bisaccisa was one of the first people on the Raiders’ coaching staff to believe in him.
Love you coach 🖤☠️
Cornerback Keisean Nixon was simply heartbroken by the news.
Bisaccia’s coaching style clearly resonated with players but owner Mark Davis favored a coach with more offensive expertise.
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Did Raiders Make Correct Decision?
Bisaccia deserves a ton of credit for getting the Raiders in the playoffs in a tumultuous season. He’s kept the ship afloat despite the team having every reason to fall apart. That said, there wasn’t a ton of evidence that he was the right guy to be the head coach going forward.
The Raiders won a lot of close games this season, which isn’t sustainable year to year. Changes needed to be made on the coaching staff and Bisaccia may not have been willing to do that. He was a special teams coordinator for years before getting the Raiders opportunity. There’s a reason not a lot of special teams coordinators get head coach jobs. Teams like to have a head coach who can own at least one side of the ball. Had the Raiders started having issues on offense or defense, Bisaccia wouldn’t be able to take over playcalling. He may be an excellent head coach but it would’ve been a risk had the team kept him on. McDaniels isn’t exactly a sure thing but the Raiders at least know that he can run an offense and put a quarterback in a position to succeed.
McDaniels Has to Win Over Players
With McDaniels taking over for the beloved Bisaccia, the coach needs to make sure that he wins over the players. Bill Belichick’s assistants aren’t exactly known for being likable. If McDaniels tries to come in and be cold and aloof, that might not sit well with the returning players.
Obviously, the players under contract have to play for him regardless but they’ll need to but into McDaniels to put their best performances on the field. A lot of happened since he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos. He’s learned a lot along the way and the hope is that he’s not still trying to be Belichick Jr. If he shows the players that he’s not the same guy he was in Denver, he could win them over.
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Raiders’ Derek Carr, Maxx Crosby Send Strong Messages to Rich Bisaccia