McDaniels gets support
Maybe it was the dreaded vote of confidence, but Raiders owner Mark Davis did come out in support of head coach Josh McDaniels in wake of the team’s 2-7 start.
The former Patriots offensive coordinator also saw some of the team leaders applaud Davis’ backing of McDaniels.
“It kind of let us know, the process, trust that process,” said quarterback Derek Carr, via the team’s website. “There is a process and we do have time during the season that we know who our leader is, and we know that we’re rolling, and that gives us confidence as a football team. So, absolutely, when he came out and did that, ‘Whew, thank goodness.’ That kind of thing.”
The Raiders were a playoff team at 10-7 last season. Davis opted to hire McDaniels and former Patriots executive Dave Ziegler to run the ship as the general manager.
Davante Adams, who arrived in a blockbuster trade with the Packers in March, appreciated the patience being shown by owner Davis.
“You look at the history of this place, I mean, I don’t think a playoff game has been won in over 20 years here,” Adams said, making reference to the Raiders’ AFC title win over Tennessee on Jan. 19, 2003.
“There’s no magic coach that’s going to come in and change that,” Adams added. “And I think that Josh is doing a great job and he does deserve that, in my mind. We can all be better in certain instances but some of the greatest coaches that this league has seen had some tough times and I’m sure they didn’t all come out the block sprinting like Usain Bolt, starting their career off, or starting with a new organization. So, I think it’s a good move by (Davis) doing that. It’s good for Josh, good for the rest of the guys, too.”