Sending home the scouts? Holy smokes, what in tarnation is going on in Oakland Raiders headquarters? How are they going to ever be able to conduct a draft with only general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden? Should anyone be freaking out about this news? The short answer is no and let me tell you why.
Sources: #Raiders coach Jon Gruden and GM Mike Mayock sent their scouts home for the weekend and they are not expected to return by draft time. The belief is they don’t know who to trust and wanted to clear the room.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 19, 2019
When Mayock was hired, he said he was going to keep the scouts in place as well as bring in some of his own people. He called for open transparency, stating coaches and scouts were going to put all their cards on the table and eliminate all this factional stuff.
For those who don’t know, scouts are nearly irreplaceable before the draft, not so much afterwards. A successful regime change goes much like what you have been seeing in Oakland. Observe the structure and system in place, get to know the coaching staff and reach a consensus on the biggest needs. Then, communicate the plan with the scouts and send them off to see who can execute it. Finish off with trimming the fat and streamline the process.
We are in the homestretch of lying season and nearly everything you hear is misdirection of some kind. Today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is reporting the scouts have been sent home and there is no trust in the building, which is contrary to what Mayock himself has said about his draft plan.
"We've got to be ready to go."
Stepping into his new role, GM Mike Mayock has full confidence in his #NFLDraft process. Full press conference: https://t.co/xd5EOz5VVE pic.twitter.com/W4GYpewq8A
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 11, 2019
Many have speculated about the happenings inside Alameda while Mayock and Gruden have continued to show they are going to do what is in the best interest of the Raiders. They know what holes need filling, who they like and what spots they think they can get them at. Moreover, they know their depth chart better than anyone else.
The reality of what is happening here is Oakland is drawing up their final plans of attack. All of the scouts haven’t been fired, but the ones who are still in the building are clearly in the plans moving forward.
While it would be silly to ignore the elephant in the room and fully address the claims of what was said, the Raiders have had more leaks than a bathtub faucet this entire offseason.
Trusting everyone in your circle is paramount for success and if you can’t trust people, they’ve got to go.It’s a very simple life concept. Without having to worry about who’s trustworthy or selling information, the Raiders can now finish preparations to knock this draft out of the park.
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